Though their PR company compares them to modern day rockers Airbourne, The Answer, and Black Stone Cherry, there's much more of an old school vibe on the latest Kaotoxin Records release from French act Flayed, titled XI Million. Fueled by some serious Deep Purple/Uriah Heep/Vanilla Fudge styled organ/guitar testosterone, XI Million features five tracks dripping with attitude & swagger, as catchy hooks and a hard rocking mentality drive energetic tunes like "Trend is Over", "Shoot the Trail" and the rousing title cut. Lead vocalist Renato Di Folco has a voice that's not far removed from Armored Saint's John Bush, as he steamrolls through these exciting and heavy hitting songs, always supported by some equally powerful guitar crunch and rampaging organ. The band also throw in a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son", and while The Dead Daisies' recent version is probably slightly more successful, this one's a keeper as well.
Overall, XI Million is an extremely satisfying EP from a band that deserves your attention, especially if you love '70s/80s styled hard rock. Let's hope we continue to hear more from Flayed in the months and years ahead!
Track Listing
1) Eleven Million
2) Trend is Over
3) Fortunate Son
4) Shoot the Trail
5) Rollin' Monkey