I'm really happy to see that there are a lot of bands out there with that "We just want to play rock n' roll" attitude. I can always appreciate that, and that's why I don't want to be too hard on these guys in this review, so I'll keep it relatively brief and to the point. This is one of those cases that will vary from person to person. You might really like this album, but I had a hard time getting through it.

DENIZEN is a Hard Rock band from France, which sometimes bills themselves as a Stoner / Rock band. This is what interested me as I absolutely love the Stoner / Rock genre. What I found here though sounded quite a bit different from what I expected. They actually sound like more of a Punk band than a Stoner / Rock band. Not to sound like a genre snob, but I definitely was caught a little off guard.

To be fair, the music isn't half bad at all. The guitars have a lot of groove to them and the band sounds like a fun Rock N' Roll combo that just wants to make groovy, yet hard, Rock music. The only major flaw (at least for me) was the vocalist Fabien Aletto. The dude has just about the most annoying vocal style I've ever heard, and I knew pretty much from the opening track that I wasn't going to like this record for that one singular reason. That voice is still making my brain hurt even now. Ouch. OWWWWWCH! Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it is fucking annoying!

Okay, I've said as much as I can about it. I need to go rehabilitate my cerebrum with some ELECTRIC WIZARD or KYUSS or something (Y'know, some REAL Stoner / Rock). Take a listen to DENIZEN's single "Casino Royale" on their bandcamp page. If it doesn't make you want to pour concrete into your ear canal, then you might dig "Whispering Wild Stories". As I said before, this one really depends on taste. Give it a shot, but you have been warned.