Earlier this year, we found ourselves treated to one ferocious blaze of compelling psyche twisting rock ‘n’ roll from US duo Chainflower, and now we have another from the same protagonist to sets ears and passions ablaze. The band’s new scorching persuasion is The Broken & Lovely EP, a thrilling successor to their outstanding and acclaimed self-titled debut EP. It is a two track offering just as impacting and gripping in its blend of varied rock flavours but has something extra to out shine its impressive predecessor. It is an indefinable essence that makes The Broken & Lovely EP eclipse a release whose songs we suspect might have been possibly written and also recorded at the same time as the new EP, but something to help Chainflower’s latest offering reach up to another plateau in songwriting and sound, not forgetting temptation.
Chainflower is the creation of guitarist and songwriter Kelly Wheeler, a veteran of the L.A. music scene who as well as having played with members of Jane’s Addiction and Tool in his career, uncaged his highly praised and supported bands SexTapes and Ultraject, the first which is now on hiatus, featuring long time Guns N’ Roses member Chris Pitman on lead vocals. Uniting with vocalist Erika Renee, who had ‘applied’ for the newly vacant vocalist spot in Ultraject at the time, the pair emerged as Chainflower and quickly got to work on the local live scene whilst joining producer and engineer Doug Grean (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland, Sheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper) to record that first EP.
A few months on and also recorded with Grean, The Broken & Lovely opens up with Lewd Blues which is instantly bewitching ears with its bluesy, almost intoxicated haze of guitar. Things only get spicier and more gripping as the distinctive tones of Renee unveil their lures and the song’s narrative, punchy beats, and a great grizzled bass tempting provided by Eliot Lorango add to the increasingly magnetic and sizzling seduction on offer. The grooves of Wheeler relentlessly wind around the senses and imagination, perpetually teasing the passions even when switching from a delta blues lined coaxing to seventies psych rock imagination, Renee all the time riding his weaves and sways like a surfer with her delivery.
Second song on the EP is Hell’s Roll; a more predatory stroll again coursing a fuzzy maze of guitar prowess covered by darker shadows conducted by the hefty but controlled swings of guest drummer Brandon Pertzborn. Never elevating from its riveting prowl, the track spins dark rock ‘n’ roll and dirty blues textures into its mystique kissed adventure of sound and vision, firmly holding ears and attention as enthralled as the imagination.
Like an endearingly twisted mix of My Baby, Karn8, and at times Morass of Molasses, both tracks just excite and inspire whilst reinforcing Chainflower as one rather thrilling proposition.
The Broken & Lovely EP is out now @ http://chainflower.bandcamp.com/album/the-broken-lovely
https://www.facebook.com/Chainflowermusic
Pete RingMaster 22/10/2015
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