Description

The origins of Flemt go back to the 1980s when Guitarist Michelle Trillini and bass player Frank Lapini were members of Italian metal band Ixions Wheel – not to be confused with French black metal band of the same name that appeared around 2007. Meeting up again 30 years later the pair got back together to form Flemt. The debut album The Time Has Come is largely a recreation and updating of the songs of Ixions Wheel, the result being an enjoyable batch of eight catchy, hook laden melodic rock songs albeit with an 80s hair metal feel to them. Daniele Bianchelli gives a strong vocal performance, whether with the up tempo rockers such as opening track Always By Your Side or the obligatory power ballad of In My Dreams. Despite their Italian heritage the overall sound is more Scandinavian rooted with early Europe and TNT influences easily springing to mind. Covering all the bases Hot Fever has them rocking in Great White mode whilst title track The Time Has Come shows a more progressive side with Ivano Zoppi’s keyboards very much more to the fore. The Fight and Dreamgirl continue the melodic metal sound as a pair of straight forward, good time rock and rollers, with Trillini finally letting rip with some great soloing on the final track. So whilst this is a commendable debut or comeback album (whichever way you want to look at it), the real truth of the album and ultimately its inherent weakness is really summed up in the band’s biography, in which the band acknowledge that the Italian rock scene is a limited one and that they are hoping to attract a foreign producer to make their dream come true and take a second album to a much wider audience. As a batch of demos with that aim in mind this is a great showcase for the band, although if put forward as a first full album, it’s certainly showing some potential, but not that killer factor to make them stand above the crowd. If Flemt do find that producer and label to really back them theres enough here to suggest they could produce something in the Heat or Shakra sort of vein. It’s a good start after thirty years but as yet reveals a lot more potential than real substance. With so many other melodic rock bands around at the moment, that next album will need to be a big step forward in class if we are to hear Flemt making the big impression they are after. Track listing: 1. Always At Your Side 2. Baby Come On 3. In My Dreams 4. Hot Fever 5. The Time Has Come 6. The Fight 7. Youll Always Be There 8. Dreamgirl