In 2015, multi-instrumentalist Billy Sherwood found himself ahead of a rather daunting task. He was hand picked by his close friend, Mr. Chris Squire, to be the bass man for progressive rock legends Yes, after Squire – founder member and only constant – discovered his ongoing fight against leukemia would soon be lost. It was obviously a job he’d would rather not have, but given the circumstances, he was the most obvious and sympathetic choice. In many ways, the only choice. Sherwood’s links with Yes go back a long way, of course: he’d previously been involved with the band in an on/off role since the turn of the 90s, if anyone could fill the void and at least have half a chance of fan acceptance, it would be Billy Sherwood. Looking back even farther, Sherwood’s own music with Lodgic and World Trade had showed parallels with the more commercial sounds of Yes. The 1989 World Trade debut, especially, often sounded like the album Yes might have unleashed after ‘Big Generator’ had they continued along the shiny, techy, AOR-prog path.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
MAFF – Maff EP
Aside from Slayer’s Tom Araya, there aren’t so many Chilean musicians who reach the ears of those farther afield, but for those who still hold 90s sounds very dear, alternative rock outfit Maff are definitely going to put South America’s long, skinny backbone on the musical map.
PLASTIC RHINO – Recondition EP
US alt-rockers Plastic Rhino mean business on their second release ‘Recondition’, as they celebrate a trashy hard rock sound with a nineties slant. Bringing back riffs from a (mostly) pre-grunge world, there’s a retro quality, though surprisingly, given the potentially disposable feel of some of the material, there’s a defiant steering away from the more obvious glam roots. Each track is loaded with a tough riff and often a strongly suitable melody, but those riffs are rarely pivotal in making Plastic Rhino’s material hit with a sizable punch, it’s never really Jack Glazer’s guitar playing that leaves an indelible mark. His playing is rhythmically solid without any hint of flashiness, for it doesn’t need an overt flair; the winning factor throughout these seven songs is frontwoman Atara Gottschalk (ex-Luxx), a performer who approaches each performance with consummate ease, whether called upon for something gritty, slightly unnerving or a more obvious rock wail.
STORMBRINGER – Blood & Rust
Nottingham rockers Stormbringer worked hard to promote their debut album ‘MMXIII’ with a slew of gigs, including appearances at the renowned Bloodstock and Download festivals. At the point where they were really gaining momentum, vocalist Mike Stockley moved on. His replacement, Jimi Brown was an instantly good fit with the band, his voice – occasionally sounding like the Whitfield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe tackling something more in the classic rock mould – is suitably powerful enough to make his presence felt over Stormbringer’s monster riffs. …And if it’s riffs you came for, then – even with an important change in band personnel to contend with – ‘Blood & Rust’ really should not disappoint.
GAZPACHO – Molok
Comprising extended arrangements and a deep concept, Gazpacho’s 2012 release ‘Demon‘ was an epic affair that eclipsed most of their previous works. With perhaps only ‘March of Ghosts’ in the same league, with their mixture of prog rock, folk and ambient sounds, ‘Demon’s floating soundscapes, set the band farther on the road to being one of the world’s best cult bands. Recorded with a surprisingly quick turnaround, barely eighteen months after that release, 2015’s ‘Molok’ is positively dark and joyless by comparison, a record possibly set to really test the fans. On first hearing, there are no real hooks, few memorable musical passages, just an hour’s worth of ambling oddness. Naturally, subsequent plays slowly unveil a patchwork of complex musical backdrops, with a couple of tracks closer in spirit to the earlier Gazpacho and something that eventually and somewhat grudgingly comes together as an other worldly soundscape for the dispirited, but to call ‘Molok’ a difficult listen would an understatement.