Poisonous Kristina

Otrovna Kristina from Zagreb are a real exception in the Sulatron catalog: while the label is usually known for sprawling acid rock and space rock, the Croatian trio delivers straightforward, uncompromising 70s hard rock sung entirely in Croatian with their debut album.

From the opener Vrata Moći to the closing Viking, ten crisp, mostly two-to-four-minute songs are strung together, each with at least one short but powerful guitar solo. The band moves between funky grooves, stoner metal riffs, and softer, almost ballad-like moments like Došao Sam Da Ostanem, which with its Pink Floyd-esque song structure exudes a little 70s psychedelic flair.

This is not the new direction of Sulatron, but the exception that proves the rule. Those looking for classic hard rock with a true seventies feel will find an album here with rough edges and a lot of playfulness.