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At
the end of the eighties, House Of Lords released two classic albums:
the self-titled debut album and ‘Sahara’ (1990). The group
immediately made it to the premier league under the tutelage of Gene
Simmons. I remember a very memorable gig on Aardschokdag 1989 and
some very striking clips on MTV, wherein there would be heavily
focused on pyramids and other eastern artefacts. Next came a third
CD, ‘Demons Down’ and a solo album of vocalist James Christian,
before silence came and nothing more was heard of this house of
lords…
..Until now that is! The group is reformed in the original set-up,
with the exception of keyboard player Greg Giuffria, and will
release a new album on march 15th, called ‘The Power And The Myth’.
How
does this sound in AD2004? Rather familiar, but with the input of
contemporary recording facilities. No less than four musicians were
hired to do the keyboard parts, Derek Sherinian being one of them,
but still the result sounds less bombastic and overpowering to me.
Sometimes many reunions lead to dated products who trigger only some
nostalgia or a yawn. This is not the case with House Of Lords. They
still got that something special. The mix of raw power and polished
ballads, the majestic string-arrangements and the playful
integration of exotic guitar sounds is still present and integrated
within the overall sound.
The
album is opened with acoustic guitars, immediately followed by
crescending keyboards. ‘Today’ is a recognisable track, with the
multi-tracked vocals in the chorus enhancing the accessibility. With
a nice distorted solo too. It clearly is full-bodied, solid rock
with a reference to the mystic east which adds an extra dimension
within the guitar work and a world-class singer in top form.
Also
in for instance ‘Am I The Only One’ and ‘Child Of Rage’, HOL never
sounds dated whatsoever. It’s a pleasure to listen to with the
comfort of a lazy chair and wild dreams.
They
also know how to rock in a civilized way. Songs constructed in a
simple way, like ‘Living in Silence’ and ‘Mind Trip’ are performed
with striking determination.
My
favourites are of course the tracks with panache and detail: within
the title song ‘The Power And The Myth’ keyboard-wizard Derek
Sherinian is really going wild, leading to a sensational
instrumental battle.
‘The
Rapture’, one of the most striking songs, is Led Zeppelin–based with
a lot of exotic sounds (said it again) and rather busy chord
sequences. More eastern-flavoured guitars can be found in ‘The Man
Who I Am’, with some references to the more acoustic refined sounds
of U2 and Led Zeppelin. Even Santana–like guitar work, a children’s
choir and hazy vocals of ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ pass by, before
the CD is finished off with the soulful ‘Child Of Rage’.
In retrospect, the compact but interesting compositions and a
flawless production made this reunion a valid one. I can’t think of
any mishap, which says it all, actually. |
