Originally released in 1970 on the then newly launched Rare Earth Records (a subsidiary of Motown), The Gospel According to Zeus is the debut from US hard rock band Power of Zeus. This is a fine album for anyone into early '70s hard rock & proto-metal, which sadly never really achieved more than cult status as the label basically probably had no idea what to do with these guys seeing as they were used to R&B and soul acts, though of course the band Rare Earth would go on to be big sellers for them.
A four piece from Detroit consisting of guitarist Joe Periano, bassist Bill Jones, keyboard player Dennie Webber, and drummer Bob Michalski (all band members contributed vocals), Power of Zeus combined elements of Deep Purple, The Doors, Vanilla Fudge, and Iron Butterfly. Hints of psychedelia & folk dripped through their otherwise heavy sound, which was long on loud guitar riffs, powerful organ, potent rhythms, and very solid vocals. The harder rocking songs like "It Couldn't Be Me", "In the Night", "I Lost My Love", and the epic sounding "The Death Trip" really work well, filled with great vocals and lots of guitar/organ interplay. "No Time" is a must for every fan of early Deep Purple or Uriah Heep (some catchy backing vocal harmonies here and stinging guitar work), while the lovely harpsichord and acoustic guitars on "Uncertain Destination" give the song a folky, proggy feel. "Realization" is bruising proto-metal, with crushing guitar riffs and ensemble vocal work that comes across like a cross between Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple, Captain Beyond, and Budgie. "Hard Working Man" as you can imagine is a driving hard rock tune that has hints of The James Gang and Grand Funk Railroad, complete with meaty guitar riffs, organ & piano, nimble drums, and layers of vocals. Closer "The Sorcerer of Isis (The Ritual of the Mole)" brings this all to a conclusion, a haunting prog/heavy rock epic filled with creepy organ effects and loads of screaming, psych induced guitar solos, easily one of the most adventurous tunes on the album.
How this band never made an impact on the growing hard rock scene in the early '70s is sad and a complete tragedy. If you have any interest at all in the early '70s heavy rock scene and love searching for some of the many rarities from that era, this should definitely be on your radar. Kudos to Get On Down Records/Motown/UMG for this nice little reissue.
Track Listing
1) It Couldn't Be Me
2) In the Night
3) Green Grass & Clover
4) I Lost My Love
5) The Death Trip
6) No Time
7) Uncertain Destination
8) Realization
9) Hard Working Man
10) The Sorcerer of Isis (Ritual of the Mole)
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