Well, I woke this morning and forgot it was August! All this referencing the dark side, talk of the apocalypse, evil, hell, the Devil and crossing over I thought it was late October. Such is the dark and heavy side of this blues/rock album. If the band have been over to the 'other side' they have clearly been jamming with Jim Morrison and Jack Bruce, as their influence on vocalist Ray “Rafer John” Cerbone's is palpable throughout the album.
I am getting a message through from the past; yes it's 1968 and Cream are giving it their all. That's no bad accolade, as they were one of the best underground blues-rock bands ever. Guitarist and founder Tony Rombola certainly sounds Claptonesque in places with the band's co-founder and Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin, holding the line with bassist Brian Carpenter.
Music's Over is very Doors orientated with a splash of Cream's White Room. Evil Is As Evil Does is standard blues fare and extremely well played but lacks a little originality. Junkie Hell has some nice hammer-ons (thought I'd get another horror reference in. Sorry!) and excellent guitar playing with a great blues feel. With Ray's bluesy voice this could be more progressive but is let down with predictable, albeit darker, lyrics although it should go down well with die hard blues groovers. Nearly fifty years ago this album would have been progressive seems, but now seems stuck in a time warp.
Even with this retro vibe, which I love, it could still have been more inventive. The Tower is the most inspirational and original track on the album with that strong retro feel giving it a familiar resonance.The musicianship is second to none but I think the band are more than capable of something better considering the huge talent involved. They appear to have settled for average when this album it could have been truly apocalyptic.
Groupie Rating 3/5