KORITNI: Long Overdue (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With no news since "Rolling" in 2018, we were beginning to wonder what had become of Koritni. It must be said that, torn between France and Australia, it has never been particularly easy to manage the band's logistics. It's no coincidence that the line-up has just undergone quite a shake-up with the absences of drummer Chris Brown, bassist Matt Hunter, and guitarists Eddy Santacreu and Luke Cuerden. The former is replaced by Daniel Fasano and the latter two by Tom Frémont alone. It's true that Lex has been doing most of the six-string parts in the studio for several albums, but this is particularly surprising when you know how important Eddy is in the composition and in a band that was unchanged until then, despite some adjustments during some tours. But as we've been told many times by the band's management, Koritni is a combo whose members never really leave permanently, as proven by the presence of Luke Cuerden as a guest for one track.

With such upheavals, and after two opuses that were a bit slow, it was with a certain feverishness that we discovered this newcomer logically entitled "Long Overdue". It would seem, however, that this long break has been beneficial for the now trio, and in particular for its head, Lex Koritni. In our interview in 2018, he confided to us that he wanted to return to his blues roots, and he didn't lie to us. Not that this album is to be classified in this stylistic category, but because the influences are here clearly assumed. It's also funny to note the nods made with the introduction of the first track ('No String Attached') and the outro of the last one ('Take It Off') which offer totally bluesy guitar soli. The use of slide guitar on several occasions is also worth noting, as well as the southern rock track 'Go Hard Or Go Home'. This confirms once again Lex's integrity and independence.

But Koritni is first and foremost hard rock, the kind that smells of sweat, overheated asphalt and adulterated whisky. The AC/DC riffs are back and provide a flawless efficiency to tracks such as 'For The Love Of The Game' or 'Born To Lose'. 'Far Cry For N°1' or 'Bone For You' stick their sharp fangs into your neck and trigger epileptic movements in all your joints. As for 'Funny Farm', it is positively delirious and offers an impressively fast solo. Of course, Koritni doesn't forget the groove that made his reputation ('Better') and he also knows how to be more melodic ('Tonight'). And if the coherence of this opus and its efficiency are obvious, they essentially rely on some recurrent elements such as the unstoppable choruses. But "Long Overdue" also shows a nice variety of which we've already mentioned, and these would be incomplete if we didn't mention 'Last Time'. More folk-rock, but still muscular, this track sees Lex offering a nuanced interpretation and benefits from the presence of Luke Cuerden.

A winning comeback for Koritni, who hit hard with this new opus, which is both refreshing and mature and combines variety with efficiency. In the end, the line-up changes had very little impact on the band's music, and it's even possible that they allowed the Franco-Australian band to reinvigorate itself and find an energy that was starting to be a bit lacking. If you need a vitamin boost, this opus is made for you. - Official website

KORITNI

LONG OVERDUE

VERYCORDS

HARD ROCK