REVIEW : AMERICAN MAFIA -- Made In New York (2017)

American Mafia is not a newbie in this scene. Originally formed as Holy Water, back in 2009, the band released the album "The collected sessions" (through Perris Records) and gained positive reviews.

The band continued to write songs for a new record but due to some serious issues (vocalist David Knight sadly committed suicide in early 2014) the band faced a strong dilemma whether to abandon the band or to continue. The answer was to continue, to find a new vocalist and to change the band's name to American Mafia. The resulting album, "Rock n’ roll hit machine", was released in August 2014 byn Grooveyard records, earned rave reviews, with Ross Welford from Uberrock saying, "this plays like the best classic rock album you've never heard", and was compared to Bad Company, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Whitesnake, Rainbow and Tesla.  

So, what we have here is a really solid 5-track EP that, to be honest, is pretty enjoyable from start to finish. The sound of American Mafia is basically influenced by the late 80's heavy rock scene and bands such as Badlands, Bad Moon Rising, Lynch Mob and Whitesnake to name a few.

The vocals are powerful, soulful and the guitars are pure heaven for the fans of this particular genre. "Superstar", the opening tune, is a dark and moodier heavy rock gem that grabs you at once and leaves you hungry for more. In "Gistified", the band delivers a cool, ala Badlands, hard rock song while in "Ride On Through" we are dealing with yet another 80's influenced rocker with a more up-beat vibe in it. The mid-tempo "Lead The Way" is good and "When London Sleeps" includes an amazing guitar solo.

American Mafia with this mini album comes out of nowhere to deliver solid, old-fashioned and with lots of attitude classic U.S. hard rock stuff. Check it out!!!

Rating : 8/10