Review Summary: The Vinnie Moore show.
UFO introduced virtuoso Vinnie Moore as their new guitarist on 2004’s
You Are Here; some 8 years later,
Seven Deadly continues providing a steady stream of riffs and bluesy jams. However, the other band members might as well pack up and permanently head home because Moore steals the show and seemingly has little use for them. The previous statement may sound hyperbolic and obviously it is, but when I say I frequently neglected the group as a whole to focus on what Moore was doing, I’m not kidding.
I suppose this isn’t surprising when you hire an already-established World class talent as your newest guitar player who’s built his name on melting strings and possessing abilities that make many axe-wielding professionals look amateurish.
Seven Deadly of course is not geared towards Metal and shredding but rather what one should expect from a group whose career was birthed in the 70’s- plenty of bluesy melodies, and moderately-driven rhythms. Toss in some simple yet effective drum work, updated sound production, and a few “I suddenly feel the urge to ride my motorcycle and feel badass” grooves and you get the idea. Have your old man check this record out and he just may have a few nostalgic episodes reminiscing on his glory days of women, muscle cars, and Ted Nugent.
While I wouldn’t go as far as saying there’s a sound cohesion problem, I may suggest that the listener could be left with the feeling that Moore is still more of a hired gun than a fully-fledged member who’s been around the block a few times now. Google a recent picture of the group and one can see he even appears somewhat out of place standing next to the men who are on average about 15 years his senior. Never the less, I’m sure the rest of UFO aren’t crying themselves to sleep every night that Moore has hit the ground running and added an element of elite talent to their band.
While the majority of
Seven Deadly is meat and potatoes riffing with straightforward Rock n’ Roll songwriting, UFO do explore lighter realms and provide us with softer tracks, more specifically the obligatory ballad in “Angel Station”. All in all, some may come away sensing the palpable chemistry concerns of Moore and the vets, but the final product of
Seven Deadly is again largely successful, which to me can only be chalked up to the talents of the musicians involved and them being able to pull it off. So, you want riffs? Solos? Some baddassery of the Classic Rock variety? You want to see a salty band that’s evolved and continues to put out respectable material? Well, my friend, have a swig.
Recommended Listens to sum up the record:
- “Wonderland”
-“Angel Station”
-“Fight Night”
