Here is a piece of random information. An old family friend of ours kept llamas and we called him affectionately ‘llama uncle.’ And I liked the llamas; I still do. A lama, on the other hand, is a Tibetan monk and I am not at all sure I want to keep one of them! But this is the debut album from Stefano Leopardi; it runs to six tracks and was happily in my inbox under rock/grunge/punk. Released on February 12, it is already out there in digital land for your listening pleasure.
I also have a press release from Stefano that explains the whole Lama situation, so I will start with that here:
“I’m Stefano and the name of my “imaginary” band is Lama Keeper, inspired by the town where I live, “Lama,” a small province in the south of Italy overlooking a beautiful sea, where I grew up and to which I am very attached, which is why I feel it’s a keeper!
I don’t have much to say about my musical journey… I’m creative; I’ve been writing songs and demos practically since I was taught music in elementary school. At 16, after seeing Nirvana’s “Unplugged,” I wanted to play and write songs like that… so I started buying instruments and equipment to make my own music.
Over the years I became passionate about many genres of rock, from the grunge of the Seattle groups to the thrash metal of Slayer and Metallica, obviously passing through the punk of Green Day and Offspring. So my songs are always a mix of these musical genres and the music I have in my head, mixed with my life experiences: friendships, love, pain, anger and desire for redemption—the right basis to bring out a badass and energetic rock!
The album is called “Always Possible, ” just like the certainty that anything can always happen, as well as the lightning on a clear day depicted on the cover.”
Now that we have all that explained, on to my review!
“Smiles” has this heavy grungy feel to it, but it also has a solid, funky feel as well. The drum sound is heavy, the mix is tight, and the chorus hook and riff hold interest. A solid opener.
“Kill Me Now” runs to 4.01 so it is one of the longer tracks on the album. Again, those drums rock out and the track bristles with energy and venom. What I like about the EP so far is that within the heavy riffs and fast guitars there is melody and enough of a commercial edge to attract commercial rock radio.
“Save the End” has a high octane 3.50 mins of modern rock and grunge; it has a power vocal and a guitar that kills. Push up the volume.
“Your Skin” changes direction a bit with an atmospheric guitar sound to open and a heavy bass feel before a return to the business of hard-edged rock. A track that slots neatly into an EP that nails intent.
“Fire on Me” moved more toward a punk sound, a heavy and rock-infused punk with a catchy guitar and chorus.
“Nevermind” finishes off the EP with fast, no compromise punk metal.
In summary, a strong introduction to Stefano and an exciting debut in the world of grunge as it is in 2025. Well worth checking out.
Standout Track: “Kill Me Now.”
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You can stream music from Lama Keeper here
Written, performed and recorded in Italy by Stefano Leopardi.
Mixed and mastered by Peter Cox at Down The Road Studio, NL
By Stevie Ritson