Desert Rock, Metal and the Blues

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Sunday 19 May 2013 (Michael Bugeja - The Sunday Times of Malta)

It’s not quite clear what connection exists between Bud Spencer and metal music, but there he is, with his trademark fist ready for action, gracing the Facebook page for an event that promises to deliver some of the best metal the Maltese music scene has to offer. Actually, make that metal and more, as apart from hardcore metal act Norm Rejection and heavy desert rockers It Came from the Desert, the event will also feature The Whiskey Music Project.

One of the local metal scene’s veterans and pillars, Norm Rejection certainly need no introduction. One only needs to bear in mind the high octane mix of political angst and grating metal that the band has consistently delivered over the years, and their presence onstage is a given that the event will be nothing short of explosive.

Not as veteran, but already quite established in the relatively short time the band has been around, It Came From The Desert wowed the crowd for the first time at last year’s Malta Doom Metal Festival. Their dark-edged desert Blues, shaped by its sludge and stoner references, reeled in the audience from the very first chord, making the band – culled from the line-ups of metal titans Beheaded and Slit and indie rock experimentalists The Areola Treat - one of the most-talked about acts to emerge on the local scene these past few months.

Last but not least, The Whiskey Music Project is a new arrival on the local circuit. A duo featuring Frank Calleja and Stefano Farrugia that was apparently borne out of a few shots of the ole’ liquor and a couple of jams, the emphasis here is on acoustic tunes sung in a gravelly voice; gripping for their raw quality and doused in a Blues-meets-Country swagger.

This triple treat will be taking place at Rookies in Bugibba on Friday, June 21. Doors open at 9pm with the first band kicking off at 10pm sharp. For more information, look up the event page with Bud Spencer’s face on Facebook. Entrance is €5.