Andre
Anderson
Black On Black
Track Listing 1. Coming Home 2. Tell Me Why 3. Arena 4. Desperate Times 5. Life 6. Black on Black 7. Eclipse 8. Sail Away 9. Piece of My Heart Frontiers 2002 |
More Releases by Andre Anderson: (solo) - Changing Skin (1998-99) Royal Hunt - Paradox (1997) Royal Hunt - Fear (1999) |
Related Releases (Ian Parry) Ian Parry - Thru the Looking Glass (1995) Elegy - Forbidden Fruit (2000) Consortium Project II (2001) |
Royal Hunt with Ian Parry...
that's what we've got here. And what exactly is 'here', why its none other than Andre
Anderson's second solo attempt. The first, 1999's "Changing Skin" was pretty
solid indeed, a couple of tracks made it worth the price of admission such as the slow
burning ballad "1000 Miles Away" and the slamming drive of "Burning
Bridges". But a few others also kept it from achieving the kind of status Royal Hunt
has enjoyed since the very beginning. Vocalist Kenny Lubcke was a breath of fresh air, how
many people had ever really heard the guy before he was coaxed to do vocals on this disc?
Now he's gone, and will probably make good fodder for "Where are they now?"
discussions in the deep, deep underground before too long. He did perform backup vocals on
Royal Hunt's "The Mission", which makes it rather odd that he doesn't appear on
"Black on Black". Where did he come from though? For those that must know
however, he was previously spotted way back in 1991 with Zoser Mez, a one off project by
ex Mercyful Fate guitarists Hank Shermann and Michael Denner that resulted in only a
single album, "Vizier of Wasteland". But that's neither here nor there since
he's been replaced by... |
01.]
"Coming Home" |
And with all that praise, one would think "Black on Black" is the bee's knees, and although admittedly more fun than being stung by a sworm of the stingy insects... it decieves by not sliding down quite as easily as imagined. The music never gels as effortlessly as Royal Hunt, which are easily digestable by even the most resisting, and certain songs are carried on way past their expiration date. One can only stand being bashed over the head by the same frickin' chorus repeatedly, eventually you become beyond disgusted. Ian Parry can be pinpointed as a huge chunk of the problem. His voice, while excellent in short doses, is too monotone for extended listening sessions. Whether its just the signature tone of his voice or the fact he stays in the same flat range for the majority of...well...any of the discs he performs on, it gets tiresome about halfway through. They tried to take some preventive steps to avoid this issue by shoving a boat load of nifty effects across the musical tapestry, changing up his sound by throwing some sections his way that require throatier areas, and including the very different sounding backup vocalists, but Ian still grates reguardless. He just can't help it. And then there's the inevitable comparision between Andre's solo albums and fellow Hunt member Steen Morgensen's Cornerstone project with the ever lovable Doogie White. For those that wonder in a Celebrity Deathmatch sort of way, who comes out on top in the end, it would have to be Cornerstone. Anderson's solo albums are fun Royal Hunt knockoffs, Cornerstone is another world entirely. And that's 'that'. Ratings and Wrap Up: |