SERPENTINE - review added 24th March 2010
Album Review: A Touch Of Heaven (2010)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and Toni Braxton
UK band Serpentine was founded by keyboardist Gareth David Noon, guitarist Christopher Gould and bassist Gareth Vanstone.
The first vocalist with the band - brought in for their initial demos - was American Greg Flores (Kamera). However the issue of distance proved too much and Tony Mills (TNT, State Of Rock) was eventually brought on board.
The band was rounded out by John Clews on guitar and Charlie Skeggs on drums.
A Touch Of Heaven was recorded at the M2 Studios in Wolverhampton, UK, under the watchful eye of producer Mark V Stuart (Magnum).
The sound is melodic with a hard rock edge. Tony Mills dominates proceedings as he always does. His voice is frankly bonkers (in a good way) and brings the record much needed character. The musicianship is all perfectly respectable, but it doesn't exactly grab you by the throat. There's nothing here you haven't heard before.
The title track kicks things off. It's a good song with plenty of oomph and several levels of heaviness and melody. It's complex, busy stuff but works well. 'Whatever Heartache' is an urgent track featuring Tony doing his best Steve Perry impression. It's arguably the best of the original tracks on the album. 'Lonely Nights' is a nice heavy emotional number supported by a wall of melodious keyboards. The chorus is surprisingly epic.
'For The Love Of It All' heads down the full-blown ballad route. Again there's a heavy tinge to the track, but it's a sweet song that tells a pleasant story. For my ears it could perhaps have done with being a tad softer, but that really is a small moan. 'Let Love Rain Down' is another nice melodic hard rocker that does nothing wrong but nothing outstanding. Same goes for 'In My Blood'. It's perfectly respectable and just about gets under the skin.
'Fashion' doesn't do a lot for me. It's well played but simply not that catchy. 'We Belong' is one of the weaker tracks too. It's all a touch too cheesy and sickly. Think Edam covered in sugar and you'll have the idea. 'Love Suicide' sounds weak until the chorus, when it gets a lot better. It's a fine lesson in how to save a song from obscurity! Final entry 'Unbreak My Heart' is a cover of the love song penned by Diane Warren, originally made famous by Toni Braxton. This version, now transformed into a big rock ballad is about 10 times better than it should be.
Overall A Touch Of Heaven is a good album. It isn't unutterably brilliant, but it's still a fine release by normal standards. I'd happily recommend it for fans of Tony Mills and melodious hard rock in general...although you'd be better served checking out his recent State Of Rock record.
Check out... That cover...
Track List:
01. A Touch Of Heaven
02. Whatever Heartache
03. Lonely Nights
04. For The Love Of It All
05. Let Love Rain Down
06. In My Blood
07. Fashion
08. We Belong
09. Love Suicide
10. Unbreak My Heart
Label: AOR Heaven
Artist's website(s): MySpace
