Somewhere between alternative and progressive rock, comes a new guitar-led trio originally from Maryland called Martini Henry. The primary focus is on the acoustic guitar and the song writing. While progressive in it’s arrangements, the excessive endless jamming is to a bare minimum. The band relocated to Los Angeles and it consists of Matt Graboski (guitar and vocals),Garrett Henritz (drums) and Ken Moore (bassists).
On their debut, "End of the Beginning" Martini Henry takes a fresh new different take on two genres (alternative & progressive) into a unique sound that is both accessible at one moment and complex the next. With Matt’s blending of acoustic & electric guitars and the tight rhythm section that seriously executes some amazing complex riffs, this band deserves it’s place in modern progressive rock history.
I will admit it took me a long time to fully appreciate the music. There was even a time I almost gave up and put it at the bottom on my reviews. But I accepted the challenge and I’m ever so glad I did. The music is very angular and may not be for casual listeners. Not to say it’s unapproachable but it’s for the true connoisseur of music. And for you prog fans that like epics, Martini Henry has on that pushes the 16 minute mark called “Airaid“ The rest of the songs range between 3 and 8 minutes.
I was trying to figure out who to compare Martini Henry to but all I can come up with is that they sound like… Martini Henry. They‘re truly a original sounding band that I believe is needed even in the progressive rock world. The band has a MySpace page which features songs from the album as well as some live recordings. A refreshingly recommended 2007 release!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on October 14th, 2007
