Review by Dave Evans



4Bitten hail from the Greek capital Athens, and have been plying their trade since 2002, they have a Hard Rock sound rooted in the bluesier end of the musical spectrum.  Vocalist Fofi Roussos cut her chops touring round the Mid-West of America, so this certainly bodes well for an album of diversity and mainstream appeal.

‘No More Sins’ certainly hits the ground running, ‘Lightening Crashin’ immediately hits you between the eyes, the rattling bass of  Akis (‘Rooster’) and the thrashing guitars of George M set the backdrop for the bombast that is Fofi Roussos - a heady mix of NY Looses’ Brijette West and Janis Joplin, it is immediately obvious that her time spent in the USA has resulted in a confident mix of rock, soul and blues.  4Bitten have managed to mix these ingredients in a melting pot and have come up with a modern twist, the following track ‘Believe’ adds further ingredients to the pot, a jazzy swing opening leads to a wonderful bluesy track, Roussos not sounding dissimilar to late 80s rock vixen Alannah Myles, but it's not all sugar sweet - the vocals are pitched just on the right side of raw and sultry.  I can already imagine how good this would sound ‘live’. 

4Bitten cite Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath amongst their influences - I would also add to that Deep Purple and Whitesnake, this is demonstrated in ‘Follow’ - Roussos coming across like a female David Coverdale with a touch of the great Glen Hughes such is her bluesy soulful vocal delivery, and George M’s guitar riff is reminiscent of  ‘Stormbringer’-era Deep Purple. With the prominent bass guitars of Rooster lifting the sound into more modern territory. 

There is no denying Roussos is the star of the show on this album, her vocal delivery is powerful and seemingly effortless, whilst she can bring to mind the great vocalists of the past;  Joplin, Grace Slick etc - she also has the ability to add a vulnerability to her sound, this is best high-lighted in ‘Tell Me’ where she has echoes of Skunk Anansies’ Skin, the track itself is a mid tempo rocker that contains some sublime playing from George M.  Whilst Roussos and Rooster dominate proceedings - the guitars are happy to sit back and merely add to the ‘live’ feeling of the album.

‘No More Sins’ does suffer a little by falling into the ‘formulaic’ trap, and a few songs - ‘Push It To The Limits’ and the title track ‘No More Sins’ for example - are fine examples of musicianship (the former showcasing Rooster's mastery of slap bass) but ultimately, other than Roussos' soaring vocals, are unremarkable.  It also falls into the trap of being slightly clichéd at times; ‘Rock N’ Roll Dreams’ contains the lyrics “so let the music make you feel / then you know your dreams are real”, it’s a solid rock song - but again treads that well worn lyrical path of believing in your dreams.

The band work best when Roussos bares her heart and soul, a good example of this is the brooding ‘Waiting So Long’, here the vocals are laid bare and are complimented  by some beautiful guitar harmonies that bring to mind Europe's John Norum. ‘In The Shadows’ with its subtle Scorpions sounding guitar licks is further proof that 4Bitten have the class and quality it takes to make an impression in what is quickly becoming an overcrowded market of female-fronted hard rock bands.

So how would I sum up the album?; well, it would come as no surprise if I said Fofi Roussos is the undeniable star of the piece. She has an immense voice - which mixes the class of the aforementioned Janis Joplin and Grace Slick - but manages to mix in the more modern dynamics of the likes of Brijette West, Skin and Shirley Manson - and adding the blues soul spirit of  the male big hitters; Coverdale, Hughes etc.  Whilst the likes of fellow ‘bombastic’ female vocalists like Fergie are impressing the more cynical ‘dyed in the wool’ rockers, here I can also see a bright future for Roussos.  She possesses a rare talent that seemingly allows her to dip her toe into any number of rock's talent pools.

This is a band effort - don’t get me wrong, and the song writing on the whole is solid and competent, as is the musicianship. Add to that the ‘live’ feel that the recording has brought across - it adds up to a highly enjoyable album, which rewards you more with each listen.  I look forward to seeing 4Bitten in the live arena, as this is where I feel they will really show their strengths.

Track listing: Lightening Crashin’ / Believe / Follow / Tell Me / Rock n’ Roll Dreams / Waiting So Long / Push It To The Limit / In The Shadows / No More Sins / Up To You

The album is out now on Rocksector Records

4Bitten have a free download of ‘Lightening Crashing’ available through their website www.4bitten.com

www.myspace.com/4bitten

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4Bitten will be supporting Michael Schenker Group at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton, on Friday 28th May, and the following night will be supporting Dave Evans (the one that used to be in AC/DC, not the one who wrote this review...) at Rock City (Nottingham) on Saturday the 29th May.