REVIEW : bastian / Among My Giants (2015)

Bastian is an Italian melodic hard rock/metal band that was formed in Sicily in 2010. The mastermind behind this band is the guitarist/songwriter Sebastiano Conti. "Among My Giants" is Bastian's debut album and features a top class list of guest musicians such as Mark Boals and Mike Vescera on vocals, John Macaluso, Vinny Appice and Thomas Lang at the drums.

Except of these great and well-known musicians, the line-up consists of Corrado Giardina on bass and Giuseppe Leggio on drums. The sound here is movin' to the 80's classic metal/melodic heavy rock scene with some really excellent and inspired guitar lines by Sebastiano Conti, powerful performances (thanx to Boals and Vescera) and a bunch of some killer tunes.  The production is a bit raw but the final result is overall solid.

There are plenty of 'classic metal' anthems such as the superb opener tune of "Odyssey", the groovier rocker "Sexy Fire", the DIO-esque "Magic Rhyme" or "Song Of Dream" that will make every single metal-head extremely happy. There are, also, some slower, mid-tempos and bluesier tracks that's givin' an extra flavor and releasing the talent of Sebastiano Conti.

A very interesting album all the way. As I already mentioned above, Sebastiano Conti is a very talented musician, no doubt 'bout that; he is, also, capable of writing good metal/rock songs that, with a dream team of musicians such as this that has been included here, achieved to create a fine debut.

Rating : 7,8/10

Track Listing :

01. Odyssey
02. Mother Earth
03. Hamunaptra
04. Tambourine Song
05. Secret and Desire
06. Sexy Fire
07. Lights And Shadows
08. Justify Blues
09. Magic Rhyme
10. The Beach
11. The Fisherman
12. Song Of The Dream
13. Soul Hunters
14. An Angel Named Jason Becker