The first issue, before i start to right down about the album forthcoming, something strange about the band name. ESTADO NOVO was known as the nickname of the government in Portugal, however it was a dictatorship, so hopefully the band understand what they are doing with the following name, after all I always think that things are not done by mistake.

Now regarding the album, what comes up to your mind when I say Classic Rock? The first thing that pops in my mind was always bands like LED ZEPPELIN and the mighty BLACK SABBATH, so you get my drift? ESTADO NOVO's first and self-titled album according to them should venture to the Classic Rock/Metal sound and vibe, however it takes some time to get to the Classic Rock. I think that the first song did throw me away from the scent, starting with a country western kind of song doesn't meet the expectation of classic rock however the song does have some LED ZEPPELIN qualities so it can be understood, the end of "Verbal" can start to give the classic rock vibe we are looking for, however only on "Dilettante" do they start the power classic BLACK SABBATH riffing, kind of stonerish (my word).

ESTADO NOVO can hardly be referred has a Classic Rock album , it's more of a Stoner meets the Doom that meets classic BLACK SABBATH style, is it good , it depends on your perspective, I found that the vocals were lacking the punch of the hard low level riffing and it did damage my all around experience, overall ok .

No I didn't forget, please see my pointers, don't miss "The method", Doomish riffing meets stoner riffing in the low tempo kind of mesmerizing track, also "Random Convict" although it's more western meets Grunge (yes Grunge) don't say that the track doesn't remind you of ALICE IN CHAINS found it to be a very good track even the best, please note (that for the band) that the vocals in this song does match the music.