The Weight - The Weight (2017)

Rock is a cliché. As such it appears to have become outworn, pale and predictable. Classic rock in particular seems to have lost all the swagger, sex and daringness that early pioneers like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry once had introduced to the world of music. Facing an eclectic and confusing world and given a music industry shattered and in pieces, many of today’s musicians show an alarming lack of stylistic confidence. Subsequently, a few years ago Gene Simmons dared to announce that rock was dead. However, millions of musicians, fans and music lovers all over the world remain defiant and have more than once expressed their strong desire to prove the American glam rocker wrong. And like so many times before, relief is about to emerge from an unexpected direction.
The marvelous city of Vienna has seen legions of talented musicians. Unfortunately, it has never been regarded as a rock'n'roll city. Eventually, a change is gonna come as THE WEIGHT indeed seem to have arisen from a distant place and a different time. Consequently, their first full length and self-entitled debut album shows little respect but a whole lotta love for all the legendary predecessors. But whereas other bands struggle to maintain originality and imagination THE WEIGHT provide us a surprisingly solid and convincing collection of well carved and beautiful songs. Whoever has the pleasure of immersing into the sound of THE WEIGHT either gets hooked on a driving and seductive groove machine or placed in a rather gentle and meditative mood. While the band introduces their music as HEAVY RHYTHM AND ROLL we definitely call it rock’n’roll in its finest and purest form.
Having played over 150 shows during the last two years the band put much of the experience they had gained by a life on the road into their album. THE WEIGHT's music embodies lust, life and happiness as well as a good amount of struggle, heartache and pain. One can truly feel how four young men have paid their dues and fortunately they seem to just have embarked on a daring endeavour, leaving us a stunning first glance of a promising future.
The album itself was produced during an adventurous two-phase undertaking. While all basic tracks were recorded in a bright and light-flooded studio in the middle of the placid landscape of Lake Constance the band ultimately underwent a radical “back to the roots” treatment by returning to their dark and dusky rehearsing room in the city of Vienna. Thus, the musicians felt able to finally capture the sound and the creativity they had initially been craving for. THE WEIGHT completed all the missing parts on their own adding plenty of guitars, pianos, organs, vocals, percussion and some vicious sound effects in a remarkable and convincing manner.
German multi-platinum producer Oliver Zuelch (Die Ärzte, Sportfreunde Stiller, etc.) became aware of the band and was instantly enthused by the idea of mixing the whole album giving the songs their vivid, warm and punchy sound.