Bukowski Fr

Contact : bernard@durbuyrock.be

Courage, self-sacrifice, resilience… so many words that could sum up the values of the Ile-de-France combo which, after overcoming the worst of trials, could simply have thrown in the towel. Only Bukowski is much more than just a rock band. It’s a family. A clan led by Mathieu Dottel, singer-guitarist as tenacious as he is inspired, who insisted on continuing the adventure after the death of his brother Julien, bassist present at his side since the beginning of the story launched in 2007. fifteen years, the musicians have scoured the halls, paved the way, and released 5 albums, all recorded with this incredible feeling of urgency mixed with a sound that is both dense and powerful, a kind of cross between stoner, metal and hard rock.

With this eponymous album, Bukowski makes a profession of faith and celebrates continuity as much as a new beginning. Boxed with his new drummer, who arrived in 2019, the four musicians – Mathieu on guitar and vocals, Clément on guitar, Julien on bass and therefore Romain on drums – took advantage of the forced break linked to the pandemic. to discover new horizons and explore previously unseen sound territories. Between the sessions carried out in the company of HK (Loudblast, Black Bomb A, Otargos…) at the Vamacara studio and the remote work which will have pushed the musicians to turn to the computer solution to set up numerous arrangements, the group takes advantage of this way of working to develop new ideas. While so often labeled stoner over the years, Bukoswki asserts itself as a band capable of so much more, somewhere between solid rock and alternative metal. Listening to this new album is the irrefutable proof.

After a direct introduction and in your face through a “From Above” which smells of pure Bukowski, things evolve according to his songs. The group takes its time, dares more progressive atmospheres, not hesitating to flirt with the seven minutes on its “Breathin’ Underwater” or to choose the song in French on “Arcus”, recorded in the company of Wojtek, champion undisputed player in the Rap Contenders a cappella battle league. A big step in a new direction that in no way undermines the asserted identity of the combo, whose DNA firmly anchored in saturation confirms how much rock remains the basis of its universe, however vast it may be. The proof is with “My Claws” and its firepower coupled with its more melodic choruses or the impactful “The Third Day” of less than two minutes and its jerky riff that cuts through your speakers with the edge of a pick. in adamantium.

On stage, the album will be defended in the company of Max, close to Julien and former guitarist of Full Throttle Baby, who now plays bass. A relay as much as a dedication for this left-hander who takes up the 4-strings and the backline of his friend and predecessor. A family story, we told you. Long Live Bukowski!