Steve Vai
Sex & Religion (1993)
Steve Vai, for those unfamiliar with his work, has made a name for himself as one of the most incredible guitarists in the world. He has compiled an incredible body of work, mostly either in other bands (most famously, as a guitarist for Frank Zappa and as part of the David Lee Roth Band) or by guesting on the work of others. He, along with his one-time teacher and fellow axe genius Joe Satriani, also frequently goes on the G3 circuit, which basically consists of guitar geniuses being guitar geniuses.
In thirty years, though, Vai has also released eight studio albums. This one, his third album, saw him gather up several very impressive musos - drummer Terry Bozzio, bassist T.M. Stevens and vocalist Devin Townsend (in his pre-SYL days). However, as Vai later observed, his obsessive control over writing and recording meant that dealing with a star-studded lineup was fraught with difficulty, and consequently they never recorded again.
Which makes this album all the more interesting.
The Album
It's a tough album to genre-label. While the Wiki page is happy to call it 'progressive metal', I don't know whether it has all that many metal moments. It's definitely prog/symphonic rock, that's for sure, but the 'metal' aspect only really comes to the fore a few times. What I can say about the music is that it's no surprise, given the technical musical ability on display, that the musicianship is first class. Vai (as I'm sure I'll say many times in the next few paragraphs) is an absolute beast who makes everything sound ridiculously easy, yet despite all the facemelting wizardry (and there's plenty) there's also moments where he displays a welcome ability to let solos breathe. Bozzio and Stevens are as rock-solid a rhythm section as you could hope to hear, although Bozzio only lets fly with some virtuosity of his own on a few occasions.
And then there's Townsend. If not for Vai he'd be the star of this album. Displaying all of the vocal range and styles he would later incorporate into his myriad solo/band projects, he shows that, vocally, he's one of the most versatile musicians in metal. Everything from a pure melodic voice to a Gillanesque high scream is here (and a few other things inbetween.)
To the songs then, and there's some real quality to be found here. Here and Now is the album's first proper song, and it's a cool ride - more hard rock than prog, it's got a ballsy dual vocal from Townsend (one low, throaty croon; one unbelievably high wail) and the first of many jaw-dropping Vai solos. Still My Bleeding Heart flirts dangerously with power ballad territory, given its acoustic guitar and synth based arrangement. Townsend's passionate cries don't really suit what is a fairly low-key tune, but sound great nonetheless. Vai's solo here ditches the technical wizardry for a careful, soulful break - it's this solo which highlights his guitar's sound, and it's such a crisp, clean sound that it's impossible not to enjoy.
The pick of the album for mine though was Dirty Black Hole. Featuring a kickass guitar riff, some booming drum work and a classic Townsend screaming vocal, it's one of the most metal tracks on the record. There's a rumbling call and response section between a choir of MANLY MEN and Townsend, plus Vai contributes little licks throughout the track before unleashing his full armory later on. It follows another metal track, the title track, which is symphonic metal in style. The steady tempo, the crunching riffs married to synth strings, more Vai magic and another trademark Townsend metal vocal....it's all there. Keeping the metal coming is the track Down Deep Into The Pain, which runs for eight minutes...but only the first five or so are worth listening to. This is pumping, ballsy, uptempo metal, with some savage riffs and a flying Vai solo before the vocals (which alternate, along with the arrangement, between melodic sweetness and aggressive fury) kick in. The contrast between the aggressive sections and the melodic, synth-driven sections works beautifully. Unfortunately, it's all ruined somewhat by the frankly bollocks spoken word section in the last few minutes.
There are also flirtations with different styles of music on Sex & Religion. There's a full-on power ballad, resplendent with multi-tracked vocals, heavy use of synths and minimal guitar solo action (In My Dreams With You), a track with commercial hard rock elements (Survive, which has a catchy wah-heavy riff and some great bass playing), a discordant, experimental metal tune (Pig, co-written by Townsend, and it shows; its odd melodic progression, occasional shifts in time and growly vocal give it away. It's also got more stunning work from Vai on it, especially the opening riff and the pulsating solo), and shades of Indian music (Touching Tongues and State of Grace).
Its only weak spots are the baffling The Road to Mt. Calvary, featuring some very angelic choral sections interspersed with people screaming in agony - I assume this is part of the 'religion' angle - and the utterly boring Rescue Me and Bury Me, which would be a complete writeoff if not for the sublime Vai solo, which almost does rescue the song (LOL SEE WHAT I DID THERE.)
The Verdict
Fans of Hevy Devy who aren't familiar with this should check it out for his vocal work - he really is a terrific metal/hard rock vocalist. Fans of guitar playing in general should check it out for Vai, because if you've never really heard his work, and you love guitarists, this album gives you a taste of his ability. It's not a great album, but it certainly is an enjoyable one to listen to, and it does contain moments suitably fitting for such a lineup.
My rating: *** and a half
Standout Tracks
Dirty Black Hole
Here And Now
Down Deep Into The Pain
Up next: Andre Rieu. That's right, The LOAD Project goes classical, and picks every grandma's favourite violinist.
No comments:
Post a Comment