webzine

Grouped on the ashes of Valentine, who released a demo in 2005, Sushi Rain moulded their style in the years, adding a keyboardist and a saxophonist to their first release.
The combo plays Funk metal with lots of groove and telluric drums, including Jazz and Fusion structures making the whole sound even more heterogenous.
There's no doubt the influences the band cites in its biography (Extreme and Living Colour) are decidedly present, but let me add Funkadelic, Vernon Neilly, Sweet Lizard Illtet, T-Ride, Weather Report, World Port, and most of all 24-7 Spyz to the list.
There's a high degree of technical skills displayed by all the members, especially by the guitar player during his shredding solos, save for the lead singer, who seizes a good level, yet sometimes shows his limits in the mid-range area by making the vocals nasal and not incisive enough, and moreover owing to his sloppy pronunciation; add that the backing vocals by Sara Bini in "I Wanna Fall in Love" are soulless and bleak, and you understand how a potentially interesting and lively song that even sounds like an adrenalinic version of the early Police on steroids has been partially spoilt; on other occasions her interventions turn off the groove of the song, and I can't comprehend the reason why nothing was done to correct this fault during the mixing or at least the mastering. Luckily this doesn't happen often, so the record doesn't miss many positive marks.
It looks like they're having lots of fun in playing live, and they do know how to entertain the crowds, but at the same time listening to them at home gives a lot of satisfaction, reaching the top in the final part of "American Show", an instrumental passage including sax, guitar licks, tight drums and so forth that might even tease Painkiller's backers.
Other amazing compositions off of "Breathless" are the heavy "Shake Your Body to the Disco Hell" and "Something Illegal Inside My Life", without forgetting the marvellous solos of the touching ballad "Don't Waste More Tears"
For party lovers and positively-attituted rockers, for lovers of shredders and virtuoso guitarists (Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, etc.), and finally also for lovers of Carlos Santana or Mc Laughlin as for the two ballads. Drummers or drum fans of Greg Bissonette, Neil Peart, Deen Castronovo and the likes.
Of course you have to be in a good mood to choose this record from your discography or it'll make you sink to a greater depression, but if you have reasons to be happy, it's gonna make you even joyful!

MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - January 3, 2012

	'*Breathless' (Madamadorè) MARK: 77/100*



	Grouped on the ashes of Valentine, who released a demo in 2005, Sushi Rain moulded their style in the years, adding a keyboardist and a saxophonist to their first release. The combo plays Funk metal with lots of groove and telluric drums, including Jazz and Fusion structures making the whole sound even more heterogenous. There's no doubt the influences the band cites in its biography (Extreme and Living Colour) are decidedly present, but let me add Funkadelic, Vernon Neilly, Sweet Lizard Illtet, T-Ride, Weather Report, World Port, and most of all 24-7 Spyz to the list. There's a high degree of technical skills displayed by all the members, especially by the guitar player during his shredding solos, save for the lead singer, who seizes a good level, yet sometimes shows his limits in the mid-range area by making the vocals nasal and not incisive enough, and moreover owing to his sloppy pronunciation; add that the backing vocals by Sara Bini in "I Wanna Fall in Love" are soulless and bleak, and you understand how a potentially interesting and lively song that even sounds like an adrenalinic version of the early Police on steroids has been partially spoilt; on other occasions her interventions turn off the groove of the song, and I can't comprehend the reason why nothing was done to correct this fault during the mixing or at least the mastering. Luckily this doesn't happen often, so the record doesn't miss many positive marks. It looks like they're having lots of fun in playing live, and they do know how to entertain the crowds, but at the same time listening to them at home gives a lot of satisfaction, reaching the top in the final part of "American Show", an instrumental passage including sax, guitar licks, tight drums and so forth that might even tease Painkiller's backers. Other amazing compositions off of "Breathless" are the heavy "Shake Your Body to the Disco Hell" and "Something Illegal Inside My Life", without forgetting the marvellous solos of the touching ballad "Don't Waste More Tears" For party lovers and positively-attituted rockers, for lovers of shredders and virtuoso guitarists (Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, etc.), and finally also for lovers of Carlos Santana or Mc Laughlin as for the two ballads. Drummers or drum fans of Greg Bissonette, Neil Peart, Deen Castronovo and the likes. Of course you have to be in a good mood to choose this record from your discography or it'll make you sink to a greater depression, but if you have reasons to be happy, it's gonna make you even joyful! MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - January 3, 2012
	Line-up on this record: Alessandro Biondi - k. Francesco Miceli - d. Matteo Carrai - lead v. Francesco Bini - g. Davide Biondolillo - b. Contacts: Montespertoli (FI) - Italy E-mail: Official site: http://www.sushirain.com Demo-/Disco-graphy: -Breathless (Full length - 2011)