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May 27, 2013 Issue #45 - Winter 2013 - Phoenix By Frank Valish

Admittedly, Wampire is probably not the best band name, bringing to mind a spelling-challenged Robert Pattinson being followed around by pre-pubescent teenage girls. Wampire the band, however, is little like what one might think, and infinitely cooler than one might expect. Somehow an amalgam of ‘80s synth pop, psychedelic guitar rock, dance music, and soul, Curiosity seems to shape-shift as one listens, both across songs and within them, until the final product can be validly called something new. Take the album’s third track, “Spirit Forest,” which starts with a cheesy synth line before seamlessly segueing into ethereal balladry, followed by a smooth electric guitar solo. Just after the three minute mark, the song abruptly ends, leading directly into the noisy squall of “Giants,” which after a minute becomes a driving pop-rock tune and later morphs into a space jam before returning to the tempest of the song’s beginning. Curiosity is an ever-evolving experience, one that constantly engages but never overwhelms. (www.wampiremusic.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10