If you follow the local rock scene, there's a good chance you may have heard the name Scarlet Pimpernel being mentioned in recent months. This new husband-and-wife duo dropped its first song, March of the Trolls, around a year ago, with the song's opening guitar riff being a clear pointer towards Scarlet Pimpernel's musical bearings. The classic sounds of 1970s Blues Rock and Old School Metal are most certainly at the root of guitarist Chris Grech and vocalist Jessica Grech's work, but they aren't the only elements shaping the sounds throughout their self-titled debut album, which was being released on 25 September 2021.
Beyond the vintage vibe one might expect of a classic hard rock act, this album possesses a timeless quality that flows freely right from the opening note all the way to its closing strums. This is as much a result of Jessica's versatile vocal timbre as it is of the engaging musical arrangements that energize this dynamic collection of songs. Inspired by a variety of themes - from scenic natural beauty, North European folk tales, social and psychological aspects and even history, the latter in particular focusing on the Ottoman invasion of Gozo in 1551 - the songs also suggest a subtle 'dark vs light' conflict at play that ebbs and flows through the notes and verses. At a time when local rock releases are few and far between, Scarlet Pimpernel's debut is a welcome breath of fresh air waiting to be experienced by anyone with a taste for authentic guitar rock.
Although the influences are clear, Scarlet Pimpernel give a refreshingly new sound to their idols' music. The lyrical concepts show that Jessica did her research thoroughly...
Noel Mifsud - Rock/Metal DJ, Radio Presenter [Rock Moods, Heatstrokes, Rock Carousel]
The duo's engaging and mesmerizing self-titled full-length debut album draws the listener into myriad emotive soundscapes laced and interwoven together by a dark, vintage rock template that sups from a cauldron of late 1960s and early 1970s influences.
Albert Bell - Musician [Forsaken, Nomad Son, X-Vandals, Albert Bell's Sacro Sanctus]
To buy or listen to Scarlet Pimpernel, go to https://scarletpimpernelband.bandcamp.com/