Turkish band Black Sea Storm is out with a brand-new album today! “İsmimi Bulutlardan Aldım” is out today for music lovers to discover, and it deserves high praises! The band, who formed in 2002 in San Diego, say that “constantly traveling across Mexico triggered inner travel” which served as the sole inspiration for the songwriting and recording process for the entire album. Traveling inspires many songwriters and musicians, and many spend lots of time on the road to perform their music for the masses. Traveling is a way of life, and it is also a huge source of inspiration.
Ali Deniz Ozkan of Black Sea Storm says “being in movement ha(d) become the initial tool of the creative act.” He goes on to say, “During the writing process of this album, I tried to open myself as much as possible to my surroundings and let the songs write themselves in an organic way.” The inspiration flooded in, in the most natural way, and the authenticity and rawness of the creativity shines throughout the 8-song-long record. The writing and recording process all happened in a nomadic fashion, while the band was traveling around different parts of Mexico including: Monterrey, Culiacán, Mazatlán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, and Querétaro. This record takes you on a sound journey through those places.
The album title “İsmimi Bulutlardan Aldım” translates to“I was named after the clouds.”
The record starts off with an acoustic guitar-driven ballad called “Kirli Duman”. It’s dark and moody in tone, with grungy sounding vocals. They are filled with massive amounts of emotion, pulling the listener in deeply. The song builds slowly and serves as the perfect introduction piece to the record, it persuades the listener want to hear more and continue on the musical journey. The record picks up in tempo for the second song, “Aramızda Duvarlar Var.” The acoustic guitars are picked quickly, and the drum beat carries the song into another dimension. Once again, the vocals are delivered with incredible amounts of passion and emotion. The guitar riff serves as the hook of the song and showcases the talent of the performer and songwriter.
“Yedi Gūnlük Balina” carries on the acoustic guitar-driven progressive rock tone of the record. The song feels like a traveling song, and has quite a bit of movement to it. It feels nomadic and takes the listener on a musical adventure. The band says that the main recording devices used to make this record were an “acoustic guitar and an SM 57 mic” as they couldn’t travel with massive amounts of equipment.
“Durma” features some of the most pretty sounds on the record. The guitar riff is beautiful, like a moody lullaby that begs to be listened to. The drums bring the song into a heavier realm. The song builds up, in tempo, instrumentation, and emotion. By the end, it feels totally energizing to the listener, bringing excitement to the body, perhaps transmitting the excitement that the band members felt while recording this fantastic piece of music.
The next two songs blend right into each other in the best way possible. “Yılanlı Kapı” and “Denizatlı Kovboy” are must hear tracks. Both are filled with grand amounts of emotion. The acoustic guitar playing talent shines through again, with riffs that set the listener on fire. The tone becomes even darker sounding for “Bipolar Kutup Ayısı”, a ballad that is driven by a rich melody that feels both haunted and beautiful at the same time. The songs’ energy lifts when the drums come in, but the mood remains dark, progressive, and grungy. The heavy bass stands out on this track. The grand finale of the record is “Işıklı Kapı”, a shorter song, that brings the record to completion. This is one of the most catchy songs in terms of vocal melody on the record. It is also the most musically impressive for drums and guitar performance.
İsmimi Bulutlardan Aldım is an excellent album that showcases the band’s immense talent in songwriting, recording, production, and performance. It’s an excellent introduction to Black Sea Storm and what they have to offer to our ears.
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Written by Ryan Cassata (Click for Reviews)