Gramma Vedetta are a London-based duo consisting of Daniele on guitar/vocals/synth and his buddy Marco handing bass/backing vocals/synth. In addition to covering all the bases from Pink Floyd psychedelia and Seattle’s grunge heyday to the Melvins’ acerbic slant, Orange Goblin’s biker rock thunder and a smidge of Jethro Tull indulgence, the gentlemanly pair of gentlemen appear to be part of the growing contingent of folks from this generation who are looking back to the ’70s and ’80s to scratch their sci-fi itch. If Gramma Vedetta had their way tele-coms would replace smartphones, interplanetary exploration would take but an afternoon and we’d discover that every planet miraculously had the same atmosphere as Earth’s, we could make the jump to hyperspace on those days we’re running late, our skin tight all-white body suit uniforms would leave nothing to the imagination and Gil Gerard would still be employable.
In lieu of that utopia, the band are here to offer their take on stoner rock/metal via third release and debut full-length, The Hum of the Machine. Set to the sounds of their massive groovin’ ’n’ shufflin’ increasingly proggy style, the album tells the story of “a man who seeks to remain unique in a world where compliance ensures you a place in the upper echelons of society,” which is a familiar storyline and has the band remaining faithful to 50% of pre-CGI, dystopian-themed sci-fi. When asked for a bit of insight into their work, they responded by saying:
“We’re proud of what we achieved with The Hum of the Machine. This album is a complete audio and visual experience. Each song has been crafted with great attention to detail and top-notch production. Talented illustrators helped us to translate our sounds into images. We have written it and recorded it but still, we can’t stop exploring it. With this album we have reached a higher level of songwriting, developing our own sound, different from everything you ever heard before. Fans of heavy riff, early ‘80s science fiction, progressive rock and stoner rock will feel at home with The Hum of the Machine. These are songs for thinking, but also to sing along. Try ‘Robots for War’ or ‘Starlight Portal Show.’ We’re pretty sure about that and we’re extremely stoked that this is being released.”
Why not throw Soylent Green, the original V TV series or THX 1138 on the big screen, crank the stream of The Hum of the Machine (located below) and let it beam you up, somewhere?
The Hum of the Machine is out on May 27th via Mandrone Records. For info and orders, check out:
Grammavedetta.com
Bandcamp
Mandrone Records
