Have you ever heard of Verismo? Me neither. It turns out they are a three piece based out of Brooklyn, NY that has just put out a pretty rocking album on their own, without the backing of a record label. After giving it a few listens, I don't think their indie status should be ongoing for much longer. While City of Kings doesn't really reach into any new ground, it is a rock solid album filled with heavy riffs, angry vocals, and is prone to induce a banging head.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the band name at Dictionary.com, and here is what I found:
Not quite sure what that means with regards to their music, but it is a cool sounding name. One thing it does do is point towards the international nature of the trio. The three met in Brooklyn, yet hail from Italy, Hungary, and The Phillipines. Now don't go thinking that you are going to get a world music mash of rock and metal, that isn't what is here. However, the three have tied together to deliver a unified front of angry groove-centric heavy hard rock.An artistic movement of the late 19th century, originating in Italy and influential especially in grand opera, marked by the use of rural characters and common, everyday themes often treated in a melodramatic manner.
The first time I listened to this I was working the day job, which affords me the ability to listen to music at a reasonable volume. So, I tossed a few albums worth of songs from bands I hadn't listened to yet into a playlist and let it go on its merry way. Initially I was met with some mediocre radio rock that didn't inspire me all that much, but then the opening track of Verismo's album, "Enemy," emanated from the speakers breaking the string of radio friendly pop-rockers and delivering a dose of raw, distorted energy. It was welcomed by my ears, "thank you, something with some crunch!" Turned out I was truly in need of a little angry rock to help me get through the day.
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