Barista’s Open Sesame Vol. 2 Is Expansive Epic

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Written by Dustin Schumacher

Today we are very thankful to be reviewing a really great album out by the band, Barista. The Istanbul-based Rock project joyously blurs the lines between authentic classic rock, heavy prog, mystic alternative, bold world music and dense psychedelic vibrations on monumental new album ‘Open Sesame’, an album so expansive it is to be released in 5 volumes.

Barista states that although they freely experiment in their music, all roads ultimately lead to ROCK for this visionary artist.

The tunes Han from Baritsa writes are heavily influenced by the stories of his own life and those of others, while also echoing musical inspiration from the likes of Toto, Journey, Supertramp, The Alan Parsons Project, and an array of Turkish folk tradition including Sufism. Above all, he is dedicated to, as he states “bringing vibe back to music”.

Let me first say that at first listen, the album really is a treat. The quality of the recordings are platinum worthy. It’s all very sonically huge while still sounding like you’re in the presence of the band. I know that may be hard to understand, but I feel that how this band sounds on a record is how the sound live.

What really floored me are the vocals. The vocal work through the tracks are so insanely close to Scott Weiland vocals that it’s really eerie in the best way possible.

The first song, Haze, is a great way to open. It’s strong and features really great work across the board. The vocals really take the cake here.

The second track, Start, comes in nice and slowly to kind of round out all that just happened in the previous track. The guitar work here is sitting on the edge of an alternative country song which is really unique.

The third track, Statement slows things down and really reminds me of Alice In Chains. It reminds me a lot of the newer Alice with William on the vocals. Really great work on this track and it’s a favorite of mine off the record.

The next two tracks, Sweet and Nothing Left, start very dark and really bring you in. I like how the two tracks feed off of one another. If you like the more grungy approach, you’ll like these tracks the most.

The final track, Apology, speeds things up as a great closer for a great album for Open Sesame Volume 2. Overall, the quality is insane and the vocals are so close to Scott Weiland that it’s haunting. I highly recommend this band and this record.