The Third Eye

Blue Rumble is a heavy psych/prog band here to melt your face and deliver some groovy and bluesy rock to your ears. The band started as a conversation and an exchange of musical ideas in 2019 between two people who shared a love for the same kind of Seventies hard rock and psychedelia.

And look at them now! After releasing their self-titled debut album in January 2022, Blue Rumble is back and better than ever with a four-track EP called Blue Lighting/Brasas due on July 28th via Echodelick Records. Jeff from Echodelick was kind enough to share a pre-release of the album with me and even send me a test pressing, so I offer this review in return.

About Blue Rumble

Echodelick Records recently shared a lengthy description of Blue Rumble and how they formed on Instagram, and I will paraphrase it a bit to give you some background on the band. 

The band’s story is multinational, spanning four countries and three continents. Ronaldo and Andrea, who live in Brazil and Switzerland, respectively, found each other through social media and decided to collaborate. Ronaldo plays keyboards with several Brazilian projects and was looking to expand his musical partnerships with artists from other countries.

Meanwhile, Andrea had riffs he wanted to turn into full-fledged songs. It was clear to them that even at that early stage of their collaboration, a long-distance, asynchronous recording process would be a big part of Blue Rumble’s DNA. They had two songs worked out, and they looked for a drummer, which wasn’t an easy task. Eventually, they found U.S.-based Harry Silvers to fill the role.

Blue Rumble released its first single in September 2020, with Ronaldo on both the keyboard and bass parts. But it wasn’t until the band decided to record “Occhio e Croce” that a dedicated bass player joined: Sebastien, Andrea’s old bandmate and pal from Luxembourg.

With a fully solidified lineup, Blue Rumble released its debut album (as mentioned above) in 2022 – nine songs and 44-plus minutes of groovy, fun, and heavy blues and psych that I suggest you check out. The band is back for more with this new 4-track EP, which includes two tracks from the debut. Not sure if the tracks are re-imagined for the EP, but they sound great, anyway. “Blue Lighting” and “Brasas” are the new tracks.

Now, let’s get to this music!

The Songs

The EP starts with “Blue Lightning,” blasting in with Andrea’s scorching guitar lead and Harry’s powerful drumming. The keyboards give the track a definite Seventies jam feeling, which is what I imagine Blue Rumble is going for. Ronaldo goes on an extended keyboard solo midway through “Blue Lightning” that will give you flashbacks to some of The Doors’ best songs.

Overall, “Blue Lightning” is a heckuva way to kick things off – an epic jam that’s only four-and-half-minutes long that could’ve probably stretched on. But brevity is the soul of wit, right? I also imagine this song would sound great live.

“God Knows I Shoulda Been Gone” is a bit longer, pushing past the five-minute mark, and this one is from the debut album. The guitar tone and jamming style reminded me of the Allman Brothers, and that’s a great thing, indeed. You can taste the Southern, down-home flavor in this bluesy tune, and you have to remind yourself that only one of Blue Ramble’s members – the drummer, Harry – is an American.

But the blues aren’t just for Americans, and Andrea and Ronaldo prove it with their soulful guitar and keyboard playing. Even the track’s title sounds like something Howlin’ Wolf would’ve come up with.

“Brasas” starts with a drum flourish and then kicks into a Zeppelin-esque riff that’ll hit you square between the eyes. The riff reminded me of Zeppelin’s “The Rover,” Andrea takes his guitar every which way with his soloing. This may be the most high-volume rocker on the album, and that’s saying a lot.

A breakdown midway through “Brasas” hits us with that sweet, retro keyboard playing again, and you may feel transported back to the Monterey Pop Festival. It had me wondering if this band which spans three continents ever plans to gather together for live shows because I imagine they’d put on a killer performance.

“Think For Yourself” is excellent advice and also a great closing track for the EP – and it’s another one from the debut. It’s the longest song on the record at more than six minutes and, while following the template in other songs, brings some unique variations. Ronaldo’s keyboard takes centerstage, and all the instruments feel incredibly in sync, hitting ultimate peaks of groove and rhythm. This is amazing, considering that the bandmates live far from each other and must sync up their playing and separate recorded tracks during the recording process.

The bass is also prominent in “Think For Yourself,” as Sebastien gets time to shine on a bass solo. Andrea’s wah-wah guitar washes over the listener, and Blue Rumble closes out the EP doing what it does best: hitting us with an infectiously groovy song with a Seventies throwback feel.

Final Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed Blue Lightning/Brasas from Blue Rumble and thought the EP packed a tremendous punch for four relatively short songs. I hadn’t heard of them before Echodelick Records reached out to me, so this EP and the debut self-titled record from 2022 will be on heavy rotation for me going forward.

Fans of Seventies-era blues and psychedelic blues will likely enjoy this one, as I could hear similarities in the sound with bands like Cream, Blue Cheer, Zeppelin, Canned Heat, and the bluesier Doors songs. But don’t get fixated on those comparisons – check out the Blue Lightning/Brasas EP from Blue Rumble for yourself and let the groove-laden rock ‘n roll sounds carry you away.

As mentioned above, Blue Rumble’s new EP will be released on July 28th (just around the corner), so consider pre-ordering now.

Support Blue Rumble by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram).

Support Echodelick Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Facebook, Instagram).

Parting words: “The blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore.” – B.B. King

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