Heritage Blend is the debut album of ARMELLINO, a project bringing together Yann Armellino and Vincent Martinez (ex-Carousel Vertigo), completed by Alban Armellino on drums and Jacques Mehard Baudot (ex-Jesus Volt) on bass. In love with a certain idea of rock, each had carved out his own path: masterclasses and recognition from the professional guitar world for Yann, British and German tours for Vincent as the frontman of Carousel Vertigo. After crossing paths many times, the two guitarists decided to work together, with no pressure, and locked themselves in the studio to write a few songs…

The result harks back to a blessed era when bands still aimed to write real songs without disowning their favourite styles. Flawless in their guitar duels, Yann and Vincent find each other with their eyes closed on a playing field somewhere between Bad Company and Whitesnake (British period), with the shadow of Humble Pie hovering above. Vincent pulls off a genuine vocal tour de force in the purest tradition and reveals himself to be a singer of great sensitivity, while Fabien Saussaye on piano and Hammond organ and Little Magic Sam on harmonica enrich a musical texture that highlights the band’s blues and soul roots.

From the blistering intro of Almost Scored Me to the boogie pulse driving I’m Only Me, through the spellbinding, soul-drenched Slice Of My Pie and Bad Enough, the redeeming choruses of Come Sing and These Bones or the killer riff of Got Yourself A Loser, every track oozes generosity and genuine spontaneity. Eleven songs including two covers: Etta James’ legendary Fire, on which Jessie Lee Houllier (Jessie Lee & The Alchemists) turns up the heat, and an acoustic version of Thin Lizzy’s famous Dancing In The Moonlight.

Beyond the chemistry between Yann and Vincent, ARMELLINO strike the perfect balance between vintage and modern tones, in a classy setting masterfully woven by producer Didier Théry (Shaka Ponk, Gaëlle Buswell). With Heritage Blend, whose sleeve nods to Fleetwood Mac’s first album from the Peter Green era, the band puts classic rock in pole position and stands up to the best Anglo-Saxon outfits around.

What the press says

Released in the autumn of 2024 on May I Records / PIAS, the album was warmly received:

“At times you think of a blues-rock-spiced Whitesnake, served in bursts with a British twist by a Mick Ralphs (Bad Company)” — Rolling Stone
“A baptism of fire for this new French band featuring renowned guitarist Yann Armellino and ex-Carousel Vertigo singer Vincent Martinez. Fifty minutes of the highest order” — Le Parisien
“A little bomb loaded with groovy riffs that plunges us back into the great years of British and American hard rock… classic rock fans have found their record of the season” — Rock Hard
“We travel to the heart of classic rock with this sumptuous blend of hard rock, blues and soul, a perfect balance that brings to mind Bad Company, The Black Crowes or Glenn Hughes” — Hard Force

The album also ranked 5th in the Collectif des Radios Blues chart for September 2024.

About the band

ARMELLINO is a French heavy blues and classic rock band led by guitarist Yann Armellino and singer-guitarist Vincent Martinez, alongside Alban Armellino on drums and Jacques Mehard Baudot on bass. The quartet takes Heritage Blend on the road, from the Festival Culture Bar-Bars to the Café de la Danse in Paris, sharing the bill with Little Bob Blues Bastards.

“With Vincent, whom I had followed through his various projects, everything felt obvious. Guitar-wise and writing-wise, it was almost as if we had always worked together, with one common thread: the desire and the pleasure of sharing a musical genre that endures despite the trends”, says Yann Armellino.

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