Black Light Syndrome

Album review

This power trio has famous roots, and they've brought it all together masterfully. First cut "The Sun Road" starts off like a tune off of David Gilmour's first solo album and then vanishes into a driving, power-chorded surge of soulful rock. Next, "Dark Corners" is a massive rocker that pulls you under its powerful whirlpool of guitar/bass/drum frenzy. Stevens tortures the guitar into absolute submission without any predictable riffs. Levin looms everywhere, and Bozzio flows in a polyrhythmic jungle. Fine interactive tension and execution everywhere. This goes way beyond King Crimson's Red days. "Duende" opens with flamenco guitar firebursts, and slowly builds into a decent Spanish-flavored piece. Not my favorite, but well done. The title cut, "Black Light Syndrome," is obviously a play on "Bozzio Levin Stevens." It is a slower-paced dirge and filled to the brim with a variety of well-executed riffs, basslines, and drum tech. "Falling in Circles" is an early Floydscape dotted with Ronnie Montrose leads, a ballad of driving determination and resolve. Floods of Satriani, Wishbone Ash, Alvin Lee, Fripp, Buck Dharma, and even that Duane Allman tone. "Book of Hours" took me right back to Wheels of Fire's "Pressed Rat and Warthog," rainy-day dreamy afternoons with a fresh pot of designer coffee. Levin, Bozzio, and Stevens play off of one another precisely as one mind. On the last cut, "Chaos/Control," you hear that "E7 breakdown" from Hendrix's "Midnight" on War Heroes, and then a jazzy boogie in classic Frank Marino style is laid down. Stevens is a guitarist with a wide range of dynamics.
© John W. Patterson /TiVo