GRAMMA VEDETTA is one of the most promising Stoner Rock bands out there. Coming from the UK, they published their debut album in 2018, "Proof of Concept", which was a solid musical effort that combined early 70s BLACK SABBATH influences with early 90's ALICE IN CHAINS. And now they have released an EP in these trying times, "A.C.I.D. Compliant".
What you are getting by GRAMMA VEDETTA in this EP is a set of songs that are not the most original, but definitely entertaining and well-crafted. "Hang Up My Boots" is the opening and longest track in the whole album and it combines the two influences that I already mentioned. From Dan's vocals and guitar riffs to the overall rhythm of the song, this track reeks of 70's BLACK SABBATH with the somewhat "modern" feel of ALICE IN CHAINS. The chorus has a very strong delivery and it complements the song nicely. To me, this is the strongest song of this entire musical effort.
The next song, "Porthole", has strong "Planet Caravan" vibes, at least to me. The guitar parts are very enjoyable and the track has a very atmospheric feel that puts you in the mood very quickly. Dan's distorted vocals work quite well in this context, which is something that it is a bit tricky considering that the use of distorted vocals can easily affect the vocal delivery in quite a negative manner. Bassetta's bass is also quite good here and I must say that GRAMMA VEDETTA thrives in terms of musicianship-that's where we can hear the band at their strongest.
"A Lucid Dream (Lockdown Blues)" is a track with a very notorious jam feel to it and here we can hear the band's more blues-based influences. A lot of new bands have this tendency of not allowing the songs to "breathe", so it's always nice to hear groups like this one trying something different and focus more on atmosphere than in technical proficiency. The song itself has solid bass lines, but little more to it, from my perspective. There's some enjoyable stuff here and there, but definitely not my cup of black coffee.
We end "A.C.I.D. Compliant" with "Everything is terrible and the house is on fire (Dumb and Dumbest Theme)", which is done more for comedic effects than artistic purposes, but I think it's a fun ending for an enjoyable EP. Here we can hear Dan's chugging along with some monster riffs Iommi would have been proud to play and that is the best part of the whole song, but I invite you to check it out and make your own conclusions.
Like most EPs, it's hard to judge "A.C.I.D. Compliant" as nothing more than a little teaser of what is to come with GRAMMA VEDETTA. It is definitely an enjoyable experience if you are into this type of music and the opening track is a winner, for sure, so I recommend it for that track alone. The rest of the EP is also worth your time.
