BROKEN VALVES – Broken Valves

Metal from Italy is generally overflowing with power, emotion, and passion. Broken Valves is certainly no exception. The five piece Alternative / Hard Rock band from Palermo, Italy have released their much anticipated self-titled debut album. Heavily influenced by such bands as Alter Bridge, Creed, and Godsmack, Broken Valves breaks the mold and is able to create a very fresh and exciting sound that’s packed with incredible heartfelt melodies and fetching guitar riffs.

Broken Valves was founded in 2006 by lead guitarist Riccardo Amenta. They fortified their line-up in early 2010, featuring the charismatic vocalist Riccardo Favara. That same year they released a four-song demo EP to begin promoting their enticing sound. Their first single from the EP was “Salvation”, which received very favorable reviews, primarily due to the catchy guitar riffs and energetic vocals that have become the signature style of each Broken Valves track.

The album features eight tracks plus three alternate versions of the previous tracks. The distinctive characteristic of this band whole-heartedly comes from vocalist Riccardo Favara. His singing style is reminiscent of Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger or Creed’s Scott Stapp. There is even a hint of Godsmack’s Sully Erna. Favara evokes a combination of all three vocalists, which is what makes listening to him so infectious. There is an extraordinary amount of passion that he puts into each and every track. This is demonstrated best during the ballad “Fall” — a down-hearted melancholy song about loss. Favara literally gives this song a life of its own with as much emotion and intensity as you will ever hear.

The other key element to this band’s great talent is the lead guitar prowess of Riccardo Amenta. He has the very innate gift of taking very simplistic riffs and melodies and turning them into very expressive pieces of work. There are also a couple of acoustic tracks on this album, one being “What Is Right” where he is able to portray a similar level of inspiration as well.

Although Broken Valves could be criticized by the casual listener as being a Mainstream Rock band, after listening to the animated and much desirable melodies, they become increasingly enticing. There is something very compelling about this band, and their debut release provides for a very enjoyable listen.

Click here to read the exclusive Metal Express Radio interview with Riccardo Favara.