How to “forge” a metal album – taught by “Garu grabs”

If you really want something, sooner or later it will succeed

A vivid example of the fact that if you really, really want something, it will work out in the end – the fanatical “hard & heavy” association “Garu grabs” has already released its second album, but, unlike its predecessor “That’s how a person lives” (2022), this already has a completely different scale of support. There are even the words of the president of the Latvian Rock Music Association Jānis Bukums: “The eyes of the group “Garugrabs” burn like real rock and roll devils! The zeal with which they play music involuntarily brings me back to the past, when rock was not only music for musicians, but their whole life.” Bukums added that tens and maybe even hundreds of groups have gone through the radio broadcasts curated by the association, but mostly the story is the same for all of them – we were formed then, we are this and that, we recorded it, thank you for inviting us! Everything. On the other hand, “GP” had a completely different, much more innovative approach.

Juris Justus

This opinion seems to mean that the place of “Garu pgrabam” at the Rock Song Festival in Džukste on June 29 is already guaranteed, but until then there is still a lot to do, including the release of the new album, which was celebrated not in some basement, but in a respected institution – Latvia’s 1. in a rock cafe.

They have also thought about details and nuances

For the reviewer, “Garu grabbs” once “got on his nerves” with his excessive hanging out in all possible places and overzealous fans (they voted for “spirits” as the best at the Metal Music of the Year award even in 2020 and 2021, when the band hadn’t even formed yet.. .), but maybe everyone has grown up – both the musicians and their supporters.

It must be admitted that the live “GP” sounds incomparably better than the “canned” music – the hour allotted for the concert flew by! The “spirits” had also worked well on the scenario of the event, starting with the individual welcome on the “rokenes” stairs (a quintet of musicians shook hands or “high-fived” each newcomer) and a small table of treats (a little thing, but pleasant), to the offer of “merchandise” , for a neat photo exhibition and working on the elements of the concert show (spinning and fisherman’s outfit, white shirts, lighthouse on the stage, etc.). The joy of the sound and lights of the rock cafe and, at the same time, the sadness that in these commercial times the stage of the “rokene” is rarely set aside for proper rock concerts. However, you can already understand that our rock music is hardly interesting for participants of foreign bachelor parties…

Juris Justus

When “eyes burn like real rock and roll devils”

Briefly about “Garu grab”: three guitars + bass + proper drums = proper “saw”. Recommendation for the next concerts – the group’s “frontman” Axel could limit himself in his likes of constantly changing guitars on stage, because it only creates unnecessary pauses, besides, from the point of view of the sound, it does not make such a big contribution.

The concert was started with the song “Maniacs” – it is said that it was inspired by Andras Grūtup’s book about the murderer Stanislav Rogalyov, but this topic was brought up to date by “Rusiņa saga” – look, what cheerful young people! The program included all the pieces from “Bara ghūsā”, and if we talk about the others, the song “Es tak latviets” was especially successful in the concert sound. It’s no wonder that fans demanded a repeat of it, but the reviewer would prefer the song “Full Lighthouse” – admittedly, one suspects that the “spirits” could do with it in the same way as “The Factor” with “Let Me Drink”, which they are asked to play in all concerts, although both the composition of the “factors” and, to a large extent, the content concept have changed.

Juris Justus

There is no doubt that, to quote Bukuma, “the band’s eyes are burning like real rock and roll devils” – they had been seen in action before, only up to this point “Garu grabamas” the will greatly outstripped the ability, so their sound was, to put it more delicately, ” deep fields”. Well, it’s much, much better, but it’s still too early to break chairs and hold a standing ovation in excitement. The main trouble – “GP” tries with all its essence to demonstrate how salty rockers they are, but the result is quite childish. The guitars and power are at their level, so it sounds very good “live” (and after a couple of beers).

Combining traditional Latvian themes and revelations of values

During the making of the album, “Garu grabbs” “has expanded its creative horizons by accepting a new vocalist and bassist in the group, stabilizing the line-up”, according to their PR specialists, and this makes them happy, because these positions really needed to be changed.

Sandris Vanzovics

Current line-up: Aksels Broks (vocals, guitar), Dāvis Bērziņš (solo guitar), Artis Broks (guitar), Roberts Āriks Sniedze (bass guitar) and Kaspars Lucis (drums). “The album marks a new musical direction and still preserves the characteristic of “Garu grabam” – it combines traditional Latvian themes, revelations of values, life lessons and the problems of the modern world, deciphering them in the framework of energetic metal music,” this is again from the composition of their team. “This album is about shell personalities who lie under the pressure of society like a hydraulic press. The album is permeated with a message – an invitation to break out of this grip!” Judge for yourself how these lofty words fit the content of the album, but the effort is certainly to be commended.

What is the main thing in music? Get a well-paid job!

Oh yeah – almost forgot about the “How to Make a Metal Album” guide I mentioned at the beginning! It was written on the blackboard, allowing those present to supplement it with their own advice. However, the advice of the “GP” musicians themselves was worth considering, for example, the first point read “complete the composition” and only the fourth “learn to play”. A joke? As if, but it seems that a large number of Latvian rock groups have operated according to the following principles… After registering with AKKA/LAA and LaIPA, it is recommended to declare a “dry law”, after recording, distributing and popularizing the album, the next point is to “criticize your own and another job”, but in the end, the most important advice is “get a well-paid job!” All right, who could be against these tips?! It looks like the guys from “Garu graba” will be the case after all.