Dead Groove Rubicon CD Review
Dead Groove is a Heavy Blues/Stoner Trio comprised of Cesar "Cags" Salaverry, (Mauser) Holly West (Zepparella), Fred Aching (Kings of Thrash, Powerflo and Bullet Boys.) While not exactly household names, they’ve been making headway in their respective bands/projects for a few years now. The band released their Self-Titled album a few years back to much success and critical acclaim.
The band is back at it again with a 3 track EP entitled “Rubicon” to follow up the success of the debut. And while there’s only 3 tunes here, it’s more than enough to show growth and one of the tracks is a famous cover… The first thing to jump out about this EP is the recording/production, it’s much more cohesive than the band’s debut. The music jumps out of the speakers as soon as you press play. West’s vocals are a lot more powerful and take front and center – this wasn’t the case on the band’s debut. I felt her voice was a bit buried in the mix, and she didn’t shine like she should’ve. Not the case here at all, she’s the star of the show! Not to shortchange Cags and Aching, they’re both terrific players, but without a singer it doesn’t mean much, I mean we’re talking about a 3-piece here.
The groove and feel of the 2 new tunes here are tasty, they really pack a punch and give you that I wanna shake my ass and pump my fist vibe. “Fire” is a toss back to the late 70’s days of Hard Rock where all you needed was a bag of blow, a hot rod and a pretty girl and it was a good time. The same can be said of the tune “The Damned”. This track has more of an epic feel to it though. West’s vocal melodies here shine. Getting to the cover on the album – “Ace of Spades”. I have mixed feelings, but I always do when someone covers a Motorhead tune, no matter what it is, but when you’re talking "Ace of Spades” you’d better bring it! Thankfully, the band doesn’t murder the song, they do it justice and West’s vocal approach is a nice touch, the tone of her voice really works with the riff and the song itself. You won’t hear me say that often. Overall, for a 3 track EP with such a big cover, this isn’t a bad effort, it’s a big step in the right direction. If the band continues in this same manner, they’ll be winning over crowds left and right. I’m really looking forward to the next full length!