Quick Take: Lykantropi - Lykantropi

I've spent considerable energy over the last couple of years trying to convince the bands that are playing throwback rock that there is much more to being effective at conjuring the past than finding and playing vintage amps. There's a mentality that gets lost among this generation, and it results in countless flaccid, boring albums that add nothing to the genre.

Lykantropi have heeded the call. They not only play throwback rock, they go even further into the past than the 70s worshipers. Lykantropi has that elements of that sound, but they also draw from the harmonies of 60s pop, which creates a completely unique sound for a new band. There's an old pop sensibility to the way the vocals are constructed, but the songs themselves are melancholic 70s rock. That balance is the yin and yang, the ebb and flow that makes great music great.

Let's not get crazy though. "Lykantropi" isn't a great album. It's a good album, and it's a very interesting listen, but there's still room for growth, as you would expect from a band still finding their feet. Not everything works, but when they put the pieces together, like on the track "Raven", they have something special brewing.

This album is a very nice first step for Lykantropi, and is an enjoyable record that falls just a bit short of being essential. Still, I say it's definitely worth a few minutes of your time, if only for "Raven". There's a bit of Ghost to what they're doing, and that's not a bad thing at all.