Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Lizards, The
Label: Hyperspace Records
Release: 2015
Length: 55:01
Rating: 4/5
Nine years between the last studio album and the new one is a hefty stretch for American old-school rockers The Lizards, even if you don’t count the covers album »Archeology« from 2009. The lineup hasn’t changed a bit in all that time. This combo of excellent, seasoned musicians, steeped in the legacy of old-school rock’n’roll and cut in bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Cactus, Riot and Masterplan, once again plows through heavy, rolling guitar phrases on the new record. The compositions swing from straight-up raw rock’n’roll and bluesy rock soul-baring to more complex moments that can even flirt with progressive rock.
Above all, fans of the old rock school will take this album to heart and adopt it as their own, just like the previous ones, no questions asked. The style, plus the incredibly raw, energetic and live sound that defines the new album too, stirs up plenty of sympathy with the spirit and work of bands like Led Zeppelin, early Whitesnake, and also Cactus and Vanilla Fudge.
The mood of the album is dark, and the psychedelic touches are noticeable too, thanks precisely to the combination of thundering guitar riffs and fat Gibson tone, which meshes effectively with keyboard arrangements ranging from piano bits and chunky Hammond lines to dark synth sounds.
The band approached the arrangements as a whole. They kept all the elemental energy of a live, organic sound and poured it effectively onto the »recording tape«, i.e. the CD. The lineup of special guests comes from The Lizards’ friendships made on shared tours. These musicians are Vinnie Moore (UFO), who contributes solos on the track Crush (let’s be honest, nothing special), plus Frank Marino (Mahagony Rush), David Lanik (Sharks) and the one and only Glenn Hughes, who sings vocal duets with Mike DiMeo on probably the best track on the album, right at the end, called Miracle Man. Glenn Hughes wrote that one himself for this album.
The result is an extremely nice album that doesn’t bring a musical revolution or any deviant surprises of musical adventurism, but can be understood as a kind of tribute to the spirit and work of bands from the pioneering days, when rock was still young and only real, honest musical talents came into the music business, full of big ideas and musical vision.
Lineup
Mike DiMeo – vocals, keyboards
Patrick Klein – guitar
Randy Pratt – bass
Bobby Rondinelli – drums
SPECIAL GUESTS:
Glenn Hughes – vocals
Frank Marino
Vinnie Moore – guitar
Production
Patrick Klein
Track list
1. Ton On The One (3:25)
2. Evil Eyes (5:20)
3. Incurable (3:07)
4. Crash (5:55)
5. Crawlin’ King Snake (4:20)
6. In The Pleasure Dome (7:18)
7. Wild West (3:56)
8. Pray For Peace (3:17)
9. The Rat’s ‘N Us (6:21)
10. Turnin’ Me Under (6:31)
11. Miracle Man (5:26)
