Kamchatka - Long Road Made of Gold

Kamchatka Long Road Made of Gold cover
Kamchatka
Long Road Made of Gold
Despotz Records
2015
8.5
Being on the scene for almost 15 years now, none can blame Kamchatka that they are following any kind of trends… on the contrary. “Long Road Made of Gold” is the band’s newest work only a year after “The Search Goes On”, which I liked a lot. The guys are indeed working hard but releasing a new album so soon after a successful one is sometimes a double-edge sword. Thankfully, that ain’t the case here. I could even say that I think this album is slightly better from the previous one… a bit more focused, tighter and with better melodies and riffs on the whole. Not far away from “The Search Goes On” but a small step ahead of it.
 
According to Per Wiberg the album was recorded at the band’s own studio and rehearsal room, the “Kamchatka shelter”. The renowned Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir, Amorphis, etc.) mixed & mastered the album. Even though Russ is known for his “extreme metal” works, he did a hell of a job since the production is well-balanced, full and fresh. The musicianship is even tighter here and greater than ever. Sometimes you can even imagine the band rehearsing on the studio… the tracks have a very “live” feeling.
 
The band’s mix of classic rock, psychedelic rock, rock & roll, heavy rock, blues-rock & hard rock music is still captivating, notable and well-crafted. I also think that this album features two of the best tracks Kamchatka have ever released, the 70s rocker “Get Your Game On” (what a superb riff) and the emotional “Rain”. Each and every one of the guys has given the best out of them to achieve such a result… Kamchatka is like a well-oiled machine and they seem to be among the top bands of their genre. If you do fancy hard rockin’ music with blues rock, psychedelic, rock & roll and classic rock elements then “Long Road Made of Gold” will make your day no matter what… do not miss any chance to see these guys live on stage – I’m sure they take no prisoners!