Reviews roundup – Serious Black vs. UVTraveler vs Autumn Electric vs. Serpentyne vs. Carmine & Vinny Appice
SERIOUS BLACK
As Daylight Breaks
AFM
And we’re kicking off today with some Proper Metal. Hence the upper case. Because this new band features former Helloween fella Roland Grapow as well as Thomen Stauch, formerlyof Blind Guardian. So you won’t be surprised to learn that this is power metal all the way. And mighty fine metal it is.
Musically, they’re not straying far from the mother lode, with some great riffs, nice keyboard sweeps and skyscraping vocals. Just the way it’s supposed to be. From the opening ‘I Seek No Other Life’, it’s straight out of the top drawer, and with the exception of a couple of lesser songs, you could stick the needle into any groove, and come away with a heavy metal treat.
The best bit for me is the section where the instrumental ‘Temple Of The Sun’ leads into the mighty ‘Akhenaton’. It’s just superb, and highlights why the metal has stayed with me all my life. Elsewhere, it’s ‘Trail of Murder’ and ‘Setting Fire To The Earth’ that are warming my cockles most.
People who liked their old bands will love this, as will anyone who enjoys fabulous power metal. Rawk!
UVTRAVELER
UVTraveler
Skeptical Records
Time for some prog now, and it’s off to sunny California to listen to the oddly cased UVTraveler. This appears to be their third album and, in places, it’s very enjoyable.
I say in places, because they jump around between genres a fair bit, bringing in progressive rock, classic rock and even some modern sounding acoustic rock. Me, I like it best when they start to widdle around, so the likes of ‘Traveler ‘, which sees bass legend Stu Hamm (no relation) pitching in, makes me very happy indeed. But fair play to Messrs Randy Sepe and Wade Greenwood who are UVTraveler for finding their own way.
Which is a puntastic way of pointing out that they say they take their influences from Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Steely Dan, as well as more recent bands like Blind Melon and Alice In Chains. The songs and performances are good, and it’s certainly worth a listen.
AUTUMN ELECTRIC
Flowers For Ambrosia
independent
And from prog to, um, folk prog, with the none more hippy sounding “Flowers For Ambrosia” from Autumn Electric.. Seems like this is the fourth full length album from the band, and it’s really rather endearing. Especially, when they go full on mentalist as on the album closer ‘Orange Stars’, a 20 minute plus epic, which has everything including the kitchen sink thrown into it.
Musically, it’s delightful, with some splendid arrangements, and an array of really good songs, and anyone who writes a song called ‘The Ballad of Magnum P.I’ gets an extra point from me. As does a Bandcamp offer that includes a wool hat, hand made by the singers mum. And what with an array of instruments including melodica, flute, banjo, synth flutes and alto saxophone you’re never short of something to listen to.
It really is a melodic yet adventurous treat, and one that fans of prog, new and old, should really be investigating a bit sharpish.
SERPENTYNE
Myths And Muses
Serpentyne Music
And the folky stuff just keeps coming, although this time, it’s all wrapped up in a female fronted mediaevally, renaissance type thing with added hurdy gurdy. So, hello Blackmore’s Night. In fact, there’s even a blast of ‘Pastyme with Good Company’.
Having said that, I’m a sucker for this sort of thing, so fair play to Maggie-Beth Sand (lead vocal, harmonium, keyboards, citole) Mark Powell (hurdy-gurdy, cittern, electric guitars, keyboards, baglama, backing vocals) Pamela Pecko Smith (flute, piccolo) Mark Jenkins (synthesisers, bouzouki) Andrea Furlan (didgeridoo, overtone flute) and Jay Tubsman (drums). They’ve done a bang up job on an almost concept album, which concerns itself with female warriors of years gone by.
And the best of those for me were ‘Boudica’, ‘Valkyries’ and the 12th century ‘Je Vivroie Liement’. Gems one and all, although there’s nary a bum note to be heard on a fabulous CD.
CARMINE & VINNY APPICE
Drum Wars Live
Deadline
Ka-boom! That is the sound of two drumming legends colliding, as happens here with the Appice Brothers. Now, even if you’ve never read an album note in your life, you will have heard one or both of the Appice Brothers drumming up a storm, with Carmine having worked with the likes of Jeff Beck, Vanilla Fudge, Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart. While wee brother Vinnie has worked with the Ronnie James Dio era Black Sabbath, as well as a clutch of Dio albums, and the reunited Black Sabbath that was Heaven and Hell.
And here they are, revisting some classics as well as throwing in some crazy as a fox drumming. So, along with their band, you’re getting the likes of ‘Crazy Train’, ‘The Mob Rules’, ‘Stand Up and Shout’ and, of course, ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’, aka Carmines pension plan!
And it’s a really fun album. Naturally, there are drum solos galore, both solo, in unison and the theme tune to The Flintstones. With Carmine in your right ear and Vinny Appice in the left, along with guitarist Ethan Brosh, bassist James Caputo and vocalist Jim Crean, it sounds great, and comes highly recommended especially, if like me, you grew up on a lot of this music.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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