Brazilian band Loss (Marcelo Loss – vocals and bass; Adriano Avelar – guitar and vocals and Teddy Bronsk – drums) are about to release their second album called Human Factor; this follows the admirable debut from 2022 (called Storm) and continues their blend of modern, metal and classic rock with fitting nods to their home country’s musical traditions.
Opener ‘Segredos’ sets out their stall with a weighty, riffy and melodic slice of rock that brings umpteen British 80s rock bands as inspiration to mind. The fascinating melding of (I’m told) Baião, a rhythmic Brazilian musical tradition works so well that ‘The Mirror’ is rock in places a power ballad in others with some great bass work hiding in plain sight behind the subtle, crafted lead solo.
Elsewhere, we get NWOBM with a Brazilian flair on the title track; ‘Material Delight’ may have a Sabbath-like melody, but it is all melodic Loss at their best. The biggest surprise, in a very good way, is the far too short acoustic blues of ‘Right or Wrong’… for me, it’s a pity they didn’t develop the sumptuous slide-driven song much further… still, think of it as an acoustic/lighter 77 seconds – a sort of breather track like Budgie always included on their masterpieces.
This may not be groundbreaking, but it is a refreshing take on metallic rock and brings the subtleties, light, and shade that many of their contemporaries sadly lack.
Well worth listening to this and their debut for some strong power trio rock with a stoner edge.
Human Factor is out on 23rd August 2024.
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