You can tell right from the opening notes of "Hard Times Goin' On" that the Italian trio known as Johnfish Sparkle have learned their craft digesting the classics like Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Free, and the Faces. Flow is riffy, meaty blues rock, long on power chords, sizzling solos, catchy choruses, and pounding rhythms. "Downhill Blues" is a tasty dark blues-rocker that just oozes Page/Plant/Marriott swagger, and "Spiral Confusion" straddles that fine line between classic Zeppelin and some of Black Sabbath's more bluesy material. There's some great wah-wah/fuzz guitar tones on the dreamy "The Circle", and "Gaudi's Run" is a lovely little acoustic guitar instrumental that reminds of Page as well as Steve Howe. The real highlight of the CD however is the rousing "A Phoenix Flight", a blistering hard rocker that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Houses of the Holy or Physical Graffitti.
As with many of the other retro styled bands on the Transubstans Records roster, Johnfish Sparkle deliver the goods for those who can't get enough of those great sounds of the 70's. If you miss the thunder and bluster of Led Zeppelin as well as a host of other great acts from that era, give this one a shot. It comes out officially here in North America in early January 2012.
Track Listing
01 Hard Times Goin' On
02 Benzai-Ten
03 Downhill Blues
04 Spiral Confusion
05 The Circle
06 The Traveler
07 Gaudi's Run
08 Not Alone
09 A Phoenix Flight
10 Crazy Lady
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
