Bangkok – Madness

Bangkok
Madness
Wormholedeath
November 12^th, 2021
Playing time: 35:24

South America is a Metal stronghold. But Hard Rock is also represented, as Bangkok from Argentina show. In 2014, guitarist and singer Pablo Vitantonio started his one-man project. He recorded several demos. After playing in some local bands, he started writing his own songs. And looked for more musicians to form his own band. Already in October, the band played their first concerts. One year later, they went into the studio and produced the debut album “Señales”, which was released in October 2015. In mid-2018, Bangkok began songwriting for the follow-up. But due to a change of label and Covid 19, the production was delayed. It wasn’t until November 2021 that the wait came to an end. “Madness” was released. Although, with “Locura”, there also seems to be a Spanish version of the album, which was already released in Argentina in August.

The very first notes of “Running Out Of Chances” show that Bangkok play Classic Hard Rock in the style of the eighties. You can’t close yourself off to the rhythm and are constantly inclined to swing your head along with it. A nice midtempo rocker as an introduction. The title track “Madness” is also midtempo. Outstanding hooklines and a pleasant voice with recognition value. Unfortunately, you can’t see from the line-up whether there are actually two guitarists at work here. But the twin guitar riffs suggest this. In addition, rhythmic drumming sets the pace. On “Nothing Better To Do” the guitars fry a little more, but the tempo only increases slightly. The quiet “I Promise You” adds a slight blues note. And the hooks and riffs sound as if I had heard them somewhere similar before. But skilfully transformed into an own sound. “Tears” and “Mine All Mine” then deliver a small increase in tempo. Finally, the ballad-like “A New Beginning” follows. The guitars seem to literally sing during the solos.

Actually, Bangkok offer nothing new in Melodic Hard Rock. In fact, many hooks and riffs sound like recycled versions. Nevertheless, the Argentinians manage to show a certain degree of independence. The nine songs captivate with beautiful melodies. The sound is fresh. It’s really fun to listen to the album and reminisce about times long gone.

Bangkok – Madness (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/4ogIFNsxpmc

Lineup:

Pablo Vitantonio
Luciano García
Sergio Alvarez
Luciano Rubí

Track list:

• Running Out Of Chances
• Madness
• Last Forever
• Nothing Better To Do
• I Promise You
• No Turning Back
• Tears
• Mine All Mine
• A New Beginning