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Like A Snake

    
       
       
       
     
             
X-Plicit are a hard rock band from Italy formed in 2016 by guitarist Andrea Lanza, releasing their debut album 'Like A Snake' in 2019.    
             
If you're a fan of Guns 'N' Roses, old school Aerosmith and Sebastian Bach era Skid Row, then you're gonna love this album. The heavy hitting eighties/nineties sleaze rock and American hard rock genres, are melded together by Italians X-Plicit to deliver a Southern rock style swagger. A swagger that begins with 'Hell Is Open', one of the hardest hitting openers to a rock album I've heard for some time. Up tempo and full of energy, 'Hell Is Open' is catchy and infectious and gets the album off to a thundering start. 'The Great Show' drops the tempo but not the energy, yet increases that swagger, that bullish stride, that tall and proud walk. So get your beers in and raise them high in salute to a thumping foot tapper of a song. With a blast of energy, 'You Don't Have To Be Afraid' explodes into life and swash buckles its way on, brushing aside anyone that stands in its way. 'You Don't Have To Be Afraid' has a purpose, an urgency, and a wish to get this party fucking started... So smiles all around and a happy time is to be had by all.    
             
Dropping the tone to a more Skid Row vibe than an Aerosmith one, 'Shake Up Your Life' is a mid tempo stomper, a blues style cruise of heavy hitting rhythms and what now appears to be the X-Plicit signature sound - the Southern rock style swagger. Tempo increases ten fold and the energy levels rocket off the scale with 'Deep Of My Soul' an energetic blast of all out heavy rock. X-Plicit are delivering a party anthem feel with every song on offer. A party feel that shows no sign of abating, as the album slides on with the more mid tempo 'I'm Original'. Since the album began over twenty minutes ago, the energy, bombast and tempo have been unrelenting, the volume has been turned up a couple of times, with head nodding and feet tapping an involuntary reaction to such an infectious listen.    
             
Maybe X-Plicit are a little retro sounding, re-living the glorious eighties/nineties sleaze rock era, but they are packing one helluva punch and will attract fans, both old and new, from all around the world. 'Free' is hard hitting hard rock with a blues edge and will have a crowd all head nodding in unison and smiling from ear to ear. And into ballad territory we waltz with the acoustic led 'Angel'. And what an emotionally driven vocal performance too... Lighters high in the air and a massive sway from side to side will accompany this one as it lazily strolls on by. Striding to an end, the albums party feel has never lifted, and when you're partying all night their is one thing you never want to happen - it to end. And with 'Don't Close This Bar Tonight' a prophetic statement of intent, X-Plicit are here to stay all night and party hard. However, the night does come to an end, and so does this album with the title song 'Like A Snake'. Heavy hitting and fused with a sharp blues edge, 'Like A Snake' is a swagger, a stagger and the heaviest song on offer. The amount of Southern rock swagger X-Plicit have injected into their debut album is incredible, an album that has been addictive from start to finish.    
             
Overall, heavy hitting hard rock that will invoke involuntary head nodding and foot tapping, such is the albums infectious and catchy nature.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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