The band Atrio from Gießen combines classic rock sound with elements from blues, independent and funk on their debut album. However, the album, which was recorded in 2019, could not be promoted due to the pandemic and with ON STAGE promotion the band found an agency that supports the aspiring band to go their way.
Already with the first songs, which are all original compositions, the playful range of the band is evident. Lars Gugler's cracking guitar riffs alternate with harmonic, melodic passages and refrains. Gian-Luca Paris on the bass and Sascha von Struve on the drums ensure a compact rhythm base, as it should be in a trio. This is how Atrio succeeds in presenting straight and no-frills rock that doesn't need to be pimped up with showmanship.
It's interesting how the band describes themselves musically in a way on the instrumental opener "This Is Atrio". From hard riffs it goes into bluesy passages and ten more songs follow, of which the title song "Blank" shows that Atrio go stylistically in the direction of modern rock bands like Rival Sons and also incorporate elements of southern rock. Lars Gugler is absolutely convincing with his powerful voice.
In the somewhat quieter "Through The Desert" Atrio go stylistically in the direction of the Independent division and there are definitely similarities to Audioslave. It is interesting how the band manages to create a rhythm at the beginning that could also be used for film recordings of a galloping horse.
In the short instrumental "Taste The Blue" the Gießeners let the listeners taste the blues, only to then turn directly towards funky southern rock with "Can You Relate", which once again proves the playful range of the band. All other songs move stylistically in the gaps between the short pieces and show that there are also bands in Germany that have found their way from classic rock to modern blues-soaked hard rock with a dash of independent. It will be interesting how this trio, bursting with power, presents these songs live, which give room for one or the other improvisation.
01 This is Atrial
02 Blank
03 What you want
04 Finally Alone
05 Through The Dessert
06 Lost Again
07 The Blue button
08 Can You Relate
09 Relief
10 Getting Away
11Pull The Trigger
