I had seen Bigelf live and talked to the brain of the Californians, Damon Fox before I carefully listened to “Into the Maelstrom” in its entirety. The live performance (that we described in the exclusive report of Hard Rock Hell VIII) made me hear the record with high expectations. Although I have very high standards, after my first two or three hearings, I can easily rank this album among the best releases of 2014.
It’s BigElf’s fourth studio album, a multitalented band which doesn’t hide its prog 70’s and Alice Cooper influences (something that Damon Fox admitted in the interview he gave us). At the same time they give the impression of a personal, both technical and theatrical sound, and by no means did they let me consider them as a “clone” of another big band of the past.
“Into the Maelstrom” doesn’t lose its interest during its stream of over one hour and it has exceptional changes in ambiance in most of the twelve pieces it contains. I really consider “Into the Maelstrom” a great album, one of the most inspired I have heard the last years and which totally justifies all the fuss that is being made lately about the name of BigElf. I think that this release is going to impress the friends of quality music being at the same time a big step for the band itself. It’s undeniable that if you happen to be somewhere near them you shouldn’t miss watching them.
