Here in Greece we use to say that you can find a Greek everywhere! Well that's not so far from reality. So why not find a Greek guitar player in Italy? Kostas Ladopoulos, the leader of this quartet, and his crew is giving us their debut album Evaluation, an album that surprised me from the first listening.

81DB was formed by Kostas in 2006 and their base is in Firenze, Italy. After some changes in the lineup the band was fixed and started working on their first demo. Late in 2006 they demo was ready and they distributed it at their concerts. After about a year they singed to Orion's Belt Records and a few months ago they released their debut album.

At first, "Evaluation" sounded strange to my ears. And I can say that I didn't like it. But after giving the album some time and a few more listening sessions, I have to admit that I made an 180 degrees turn. Their sound is not the typical Rock one. They mix, in a beautiful way, heavy Rock riffs and rhythms, with many folk Greek elements, the sound of the buzuki is distinctive, and some fuzz moments. If I try to name some bands that came to mind listening to "Evaluation" it would be SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. The production of the album is the one that helps the band show their vision for this album to their audience. The ideas, even if they may sound crazy the first time, are well placed most of the times. Not that they don't have the margin for improvement though, since they may need to control their own selves and not overdo it.

Overall, Evaluation is an album that surely has a place in my CD player. It has heavy tracks like "Insexts" and "So Wounded", it has the folk element in songs like " Argonaut's Dance", fuzz moments ("Dr Barytone", with guest vocals by Sarah Hucal) and compositions with catchy choruses like in "Nice Trip". And the nice thing is that the album flows nicely, since all those different styles have been placed wisely in the songs. A really good try that surely needs your attention and time.