Arjen Lucassen is known for Prog Rock/Metal. He’s also known for writing everything, arranging everything and producing his projects. The biggest name is of course Ayreon but he also has Star One, Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Stream Of Passion. What many might not know is that he was once part of Hard Rock outfit Bodine and the slightly glammier melodic Hard Rock band Vengeance. That’s why it probably came as a surprise that when upon his return after the last Star One record it was as the bass player in his new band Supersonic Revolution – a Glam Rock band. Not Glam as in Poison though. No this is based on 70’s Glam – Bowie, T.Rex, Slade, Mott The Hoople, Sweet… You get the idea. For me, after all of his ambitious but great Prog records I found the idea of him doing 70’s Glam very interesting.
After the atmospheric introductory piece “SR Prelude” that holds both a Jon Lord flirting Hammond, synthesizers and moog-sounds that actually feels like it belongs on an Ayreon album the lead-off single “The Glamattack” bursts loose upbeat and faster in pace with a big 70’s Classic Rock vibe and flirts with 70’s Glam inserted. Joest van den Broek’s massive Hammond attack will most likely have Jon Lord smiling in his heaven and that together with the ballsy rhythm section of Lucassen and drummer Koen Herfs and Timo Somers’ meaty guitars sure brings Deep Purple to mind – “Unskinny Bop” this is not. It’s a powerful rocker that hails the big names of 70’s Glam Rock and what a tribute this is. A killer tune.
On a vey live-friendly note, the big-grooved title-track is a beefy stomper with a massive 70’s twist and a crunchy Classic Rock guitar-sound. Brilliant singer Jaycee Cuijpers namedrops 70’s Glam giants such as Bowie, Sweet, T.Rex and Alice Cooper works over a straight ahead rhythms and a party-loving attitude yet with Lucassen’s signature melody-language all over the vocal-melodies which makes it a bit Ayreon-ish at times. Still a cracking number with a magnificent refrain. Very good. With a title like “The Rise Of The Starman” it’s easy to think that it’s a Bowie rip-off we’re dealing with but it’s not. Not at all. It might pay homage to Ziggy and the boys but musically it’s more of a Classic Rock meets Hard Rock stomper with edgy guitars and a big organ with underlying prog-rock twists and Ayreon nods melodically. Also, Cuijpers’ vocals are ballsy and Dio-like which gives an 80’s metal-twist to the song. That said, it’s a damn good tune with a striking refrain.
Written from the perspective of the “stupid with a flare gun”, “Burn It Down” tells the “Smoke On The Water” tale from the other side. It also throws an organ-riff clearly based on Deep Purple’s early 70’s. As a whole this is way more 70’s Classic Rock than any Glam. It’s a bouncy track, rhythmic and groovy in an edgy and rough soundscape yet with lots of melodic vibes and a good, earthy chorus. Good one. “Odyssey” starts out slow and down-beat as a Classic Rock ballad with a spacey atmosphere and a trippy keyboard but after a few minutes – it’s a six minute song – it takes a faster tempo with more edgy riffing, raging organs and punchy rhythms with a chorus that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Star One/Ayreon record. Good one.
With an organ intro that brings Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers” to mind “They Took Us By Storm” takes the heavier route in a slower tempo with a raunchy guitar sound that brings on a bone-crushing riff and a bad-ass beefy rhythm that helps the song land somewhere in the middle of 70’s Classic Rock and Metal. It’s edgy, bombastic, rough yet melodic and more often than not the vocal-melodies looks at Lucassen’s Ayreon albeit in a more straight ahead mode. In a mid-paced tempo “Golden Boy” is a straight out Classic Rock stomper with some slightly held-back yet groovy verses but a rougher edged refrain that contains big melodies, a roaring organ and some gritty guitars and a hook that could easily hold water on an Ayreon or Star One album. Good one.
“Holy Holy Ground” is a sparse blues ballad on the more laid-back side with an atmospheric arrangement but also a juicy beat. The low-key vocal melodies and cosy outlook of the song takes my mind to Whitesnake’s late 80’s whereas the organ and electric guitar are in great symbiosis trading licks over a dynamic electric piano. It’s a nice breather of a song with some emotional lead vocals and a slightly bigger chorus. I like. The spacey “Fight Of The Century” takes a step into Prog over a run of Classic Rock and some chunky guitar riffs, big keyboards and Ayreon-like melodies. The chorus is direct with a pop-hook that flirts with ABBA of all bands and sticks right off the bat. Very good.
Closing track “Came To Mock, Stayed To Rock” is a happy-go-lucky swinging and rocking groover with crunchy Classic Rock guitars 70’s style and punchy, driving rhythms with a distinct and easily embraced live-feel. After a bluesy opening on an acoustic note the song goes into a Hard Rock Boogie-Woogie swing. It’s a good-time rocker with a big party vibe where the melody-hooks are everywhere and the chorus hits bullseye maybe not in a hit-single way but a let’s get rowdy at the gig way. It holds Lucassen’s personal melody structure which makes the tune recognizable for fans of his works. Very good.
Some versions of the album includes four covers as well. T.Rex’s “Children Of The Revolution” has been done by many artists now and feels somewhat unimaginative. This version brings on a slight Purple vibe and a bit of Ayreonized melodies too. Good version. ZZ Top’s “I Heard It On The X” brings out the Classic Rock Boogie with a raunchy organ involved on a punchy rhythm, Earth Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy” takes the pop song and throws in some Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin over a stompy and bouncy rhythm and a huge, catchy as hell chorus and as a closer Roger Glover’s “Love Is All” get s a crunchy Classic Rock treatment with smooth pop-hooks, uplifting melodies and an embracing refrain. Good stuff.
First of all, this is not a Glam Rock album. Visually maybe it is and lyrically it sure pays tribute to that scene but musically it’s a 70’s smelling Classic Rock album that pays more homage to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Uriah Heep than Sweet, T.Rex and Bowie – only small inserts here and there of the Glam Gods are present. But that doesn’t make this album bad – only a bit misleading because it’s actually a damn good record. Lucassen’s melody-structure and personal arrangements shines through everywhere which makes it hard to ignore his proggier projects such as Ayreon and Star one but it is by no means anything that holds the album back. More so, I get the feeling that I want to see this live. Many are the faces of Arjen Lucassen and here’s another one. Recommended.
7/10
Tracklist:
1. SR Prelude
2. The Glamattack
3. Golden Age Of Music
4. The Rise Of The Starman
5. Burn It Down
6. Odyssey
7. They Took Us By Storm
8. Golden Boy
9. Holy Holy Ground
10. Fight Of The Century
11. Came To Mock, Stayed To Rock
12. Children Of The Revolution
13. I Heard It On The X
14. Fantasy
15. Love Is All
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