Desert Twelve – The Last Dark Wood

Desert Twelve – The Last Dark Wood

I am a strong believer that it takes three full listens to an album to really have a valuable opinion of it. Some of my favourite albums of all time really didn’t land with me until that special third listen. Listen one is a voyage of discovery, listen two is all about context and understanding and listen three is when your mind opens up and lets every aspect of the music in. I’ve revisited albums I never quite got on with years later and tried to find a new way in, but if the third listen didn’t work for me it’s usually the case that the album never will.

It was on the third listen to Desert Twelve’s sophomore album that I felt I really got to grips with it. Initially I thought some of the riffs were a bit derivative and some of the songs a bit too straightforward. On the third full play through, I stopped picking holes in the ingredients and the recipe and just let myself experience the meal. I stopped looking for the level of surprises I usually expect in a pure prog record and appreciated what this hard rock band from Italy do well instead.

There’s a post-apocalyptic story being told here I think, with the first and last tracks on the album (one being the title track) bookending perfectly to kick off and complete the narrative. What really stands out though are the vocals. Singer Vittoria Ipri has a beautiful voice and a stunning tone which really helps to set the band apart from similar artists. Imagine Julianne Regan from All About Eve fronting an Italian anthem lead version of Kyuss and you’re in the right hard rock ballpark.

Lyrically there are moments of brilliance at times, I haven’t heard the word precipice in anywhere near enough songs! There is however one song that feels like sixth form fantasy poetry, and veers into parody as a result. No matter how much I like The Dragon, the chorus loses anthemic value by being a little bit laughable. “The dragon wins. The dogs have lost. The dragon wins. The dogs have lost” even in context it can’t help but make you laugh. This track also made me think of both Wolfmother’s Joker and the Thief and Patti Smith’s take on Because the Night, while simultaneously not sounding like either track. It’s a single from the album, and lyrics notwithstanding is the most accessible song on the record to a new listener.

As a prog fan in 2024, it would be churlish of me to complain that a record sounds too much like other LPs from the 90s/early 2000s, when so much of the music I listen to contains noticeable nods to albums from the 70s. If these songs were on Kerrang or Scuzz TV in 2002 I’d have lapped them up, like I did with all of Melissa Auf der Maur’s music. Twenty years on this has proven to be a rather excellent album to listen to at the gym instead.

Highlights include Bikini Since 1946, which has a swagger and confidence that Queens of the Stone Age would be proud of. Eleven Magic Kisses combines a strident rhythm section with some exquisite guitar work. Echidna is a sexy little number which I assume is about the half woman half snake from Greek mythology rather than the Australian spiky mammal that shares its name. And The First Underworld Dawn brings all the elements together, showcasing all aspects of the band to great effect.

This does feel a bit like an album out of time, a bit like PJ Harvey joining Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions, but today. If you like your hard rock with a stoner meets psychedelic vibe, then you should enjoy this. Not every album has to be ground-breaking, not every record has to change your life or stay with you for days. This a really good record that I’d be happy to keep listening to when the mood takes me. I’m on about listen nine so far.

TRACK LISTING
01. To Be The King (6:02)
02. The Dragon (3:37)
03. Bikini Since 1946 (3:58)
04. Eleven Magic Kisses (4:40)
05. The Moon (4:14)
06. Echidna (7:22)
07. The First Underworld Dawn (6:32)
08. The Last Dark Wood (3:09)

Total Time – 39:38

MUSICIANS
Vittoria Ipri – Vocals
Gabriele Finotti – Guitar
Alex Viti – Guitar
Davide Radicelli – Bass
Luca Dabergami – Drums

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Orzorock Music
Country of Origin: Italy
Date of Release: 20th June 2024

LINKS
Desert Twelve – Facebook | Bandcamp