“Still Hurts” is the debut album by Greek hard rock/melodic metal band Sleek — a group deeply inspired by the American rock/metal sound of the ’80s, creating music filled with heart, soul, and emotion. Their strongest quality is melody, expressed through catchy vocal lines and infectious refrains, as well as their beautiful riffs and solos. This is a record built around melody — an album that will take you to magical, beloved places and to romantic times long gone. “Still Hurts” impresses with its beautiful songs, most of which are mid-tempo and ballad-like (favorites include the title track, “Tell Me”, “Heavenly Skies” and “Another Lie”). Yet this doesn’t lessen the album’s overall value; on the contrary, it’s full of fresh and intriguing ideas, supported by excellent work on every level. Of course, not everything is perfect — the production by Stelios Koutelis, while warm, isn’t crystal clear, the vocals are a bit nasal and the closing track, “A Life in Chains”, has some punk rock elements that don’t entirely fit with the rest of the songs. Still, without these minor issues, we’d be talking about an outstanding result. Sleek deliver a great effort with “Still Hurts” — an album every fan of melodic rock/metal will love, an album that’s been on repeat for me and one that introduces a band with passion, personality and vision. Congratulations to the guys — with such positive feedback, I truly believe Sleek have an even brighter future ahead! I’m already looking forward to hearing the band’s new songs!
♦ 8/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
