SPEKTRA
“Hypnotized”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9.5/10

Spektra are a hard rock band from Brazil formed in 2021, releasing their debut album ‘Overload’ later the same year, and sophomore album ‘Hypnotized’ in 2024.

Featuring a melodic hard rock sound emanating from bands such as Foreigner, Journey and Winger, Brazil’s Spektra cruise into view with eleven new songs across a very hard rocking forty four minutes. Led from the front by founder BJ (vocals), the band line-up is completed by Leo Mancini (guitar), Henrique Canalle (bass) and Edu Cominato (drums) – the album powering into life with the highly energetic and fairly punchy ‘Freefall’. The bombastic nature here is weighty, Spektra delivering a head turning opener to ensure everyone reacts in the same excited manner – ‘Freefall’ most definitely an exciting opening gambit! Brazil is well known for its metal exports, especially in the realm of extreme thrash metal, with hard rock taking a distant back seat. Although to be fair, I have reviewed some Brazilian hard rock bands – Hard Breakers, Landfall and Marenna, so I know there’s some Brazilian rock bands out there! ‘Taste Of Heaven’ enters the fray with a sound not too dissimilar to Swedish hard rock giants Europe – and more specifically the bands eighties breakout era with ‘The Final Countdown’ album (released in 1986). The bombastic oomph here pulses with electrified energy, Spektra hitting every listener, fan and follower with so much force they’re all gonna be knocked into next fucking week!

A sparkling opening brace from the Brazilian rockers, takes a more melodic turn with the AOR fuelled ‘Search For More’ – this time the sound of American hard rock pouring outta the album with hints of Journey, Boston and Kansas immediately noticeable. Spektra are running the whole gamut of hard rock here, the band influenced by many of rocks greatest bands, ‘My Voice For You’ maintaining ‘Hypnotized’s recent move to a more mellow plane. Yet among all the mellowness on offer there’s still a punchy nature that keeps everything away from balladry, the band continuing to hit hard with a tonne of energy! None more so than for the foot stomping ‘Against The Wind’, the heaviest rocker heard on the album since the opening salvo. The insanely high infectious level ‘Hypnotized’ is operating at, is gonna keep a tight hold of listeners attentions, the band not willing to let ’em go just yet – ’cause we’re only half way through the album!

And as the second half gets underway, the sound of an impending ballad greets the ears, the band having other ideas as ‘Our Time Is Now’ builds an emotionally fuelled crescendo to remain just outside balladry. Now I know I’ve mentioned the insanely high infectious level before, but boy is it insane – Spektra delivering a brand of rock that’s surely gonna achieve arena rock status! And if there’s ever a song on ‘Hypnotized’ that deserves that accolade, it’s the title song – a massive majestic swagger marching straight outta the speakers to knock every listener, fan and follower flat on their backs! Which is where they might as well stay, for ‘Tonight’ is a weighty mid tempo thunder stomp that’s gonna trample over everything and everyone in its way – the Brazilian rockers rocking very hard indeed!

Maintaining the incredible hard rock roar, ‘Time Around Us’ steps over the border wall into heavy rock territory, the band broadening their musical horizons to incorporate other styles of rock into their soundscape – a soundscape that’s overly hypnotic, Spektra keeping everyone transfixed! Now I openly admit with a touch of embarrassment, I’ve not actually listened to the bands debut album ‘Overload’ – which featured the song ‘Runnin’ Out Of Time’! This album features ‘Runnin’ Out Of Time II’ which I can only presume is a sequel, a follow-up, or the second in a (yet to come) saga of sequels – similar to Metallica’s ‘Unforgiven’ trilogy, and Vhäldemar’s ‘Old King’s Visions’ which is currently up to seven sequels, the seventh appearing on the bands seventh album ‘Sanctuary Of Death’ (released earlier this year). But I digress, back to Spektra and ‘Runnin’ Out Of Time II’ – hitting much harder than ‘Runnin’ Out Of Time’ (and yes, I’ve listened to it now). The band are also hitting harder than at any other point on the album, ‘Runnin’ Out Of Time II’ a punchy bombastic blast that’s gonna rip a big fucking hole in the space-time continuum! And although ‘Hypnotized’ (the album) has occasionally glanced over at ballad territory, it hasn’t yet fully fallen in – until now! The band deliver the albums finale ‘Different Me Outside’ to a sea of lighters held high, every listener swaying from side to side.

Overall, forty four minutes of heavy hitting hard rock to get your heart pounding and pulse racing, ‘Hypnotized’ a highly hypnotic album.

TRACKLIST

Freefall
Taste Of Heaven
Search For More
My Voice For You
Against The Wind
Our Time Is Now
Hypnotized
Tonight
Time Around Us
Runnin’ Out Of Time II
Different Me Outside

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