Drive Like Maria

Album Title: 
Drive Like Maria
Release Date: 
Monday, January 28, 2013
Review Type: 

Since I received both the single and the full album at the same moment, I found it a bit stupid to write two distinct reviews.

This is the second album by this Belgian/Dutch band, that I’d never heard of before.  To say they play hard rock wouldn’t do justice to their music.  This is much more than plain hard rock.  It’s more something in the vein of poppy stoner rock, with also hints of other genres hidden in the songs.

For someone who is not that into stoner rock, ok, I do like the occasional Queens Of The Stone Age song now and then, I was pretty impressed by this album.  It’s not an album I would play on a regular basis, but nevertheless it’s an album that now and then will find its way towards my CD player.  Certain songs even remind me a bit of Kings Of Leon

The album was recorded in a studio in Italy, which they built themselves.  Another novelty is that they added an extra person to their line-up, in the form of Bram van den Berg (ex Krezip) on drums.  This means that singer/drummer/guitarist Björn Awouters can focus more on the singing and the guitarplaying, and this must certainly have improved their performance.

To sum it up: this is a very good album.

And since it seems this band is even better live, why not put them on the bill for different festivals this Summer?

97/100