"The Journey Begins"
Reviewed by Ciaran J. Meeks
..................Listening to this disc for the first time, I can't help but think that if these guys had come out in 1980 they would have been huge, selling out 70,000-capacity stadium shows everywhere from NewYork to Tokoyo. Indeed, I mean that in the best possible sense too, the fact being that the musical climate of the 90's is so devoid of talent that the arrival of a good, solid, hard rockin' Metal band like SNAKE EYES is a welcome respite to ears that miss the heyday of greats like BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, and the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal).
.................Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., SNAKE EYES, comprised of vocalist Paul LeComte, guitarist/keyboardist Wizard Oz, bassist Mark Sandquist, and drummer Abe Michaud meld the best elements of both old and new-school rock' n roll with the epic crunch of classic "true" Heavy Metal to create a varied and solid platter of songs on this, their debut offering The Journey Begins.
................Comprised of a generous 15 tracks, The Journey Begins immediately recalls the denim 'n leather appoach to songwriting that made albums like IRON MAIDEN's debut and OZ's Fire In The Brain instant blue-collar classics. Right away, opener "Sheet Metal" kicks in with full-on Metal bravado, vocalist LeComte sounding like a grittier Jim Morrison, had Jim lived to abandon the Peace and Love Generation and attended a few drunken, early SAXON shows. Further tales of the working man's trials and tribulations follow in "Make My Day" and the hooky "19 B.C.Bylaw" upholding the high energy quotient with strong choruses and memorable, fluid guitar heroics c/o/ Wizard Oz.
...............Unlike many debut releases which tend to start strong and then run out of gas halfway through, The Journey Begins only seems to grow stronger as it progresses, first with a softer, introspective respite in ballad "Dream Girl", then straight back into the pure Metal of "King Guy" and the epic, keyboard-flavoured gallop of "Snakebite", the anthemic "That's Life", "Mind Full of Guilt", and "Having a Revolution", four tracks in quick succession that, in my personal opinion stand out as some of the strongest material on an already strong album in terms of pure headbanging, standing on the mountain with the wind in your hair abandon!
..............Finally, closer "Down the Street" offers a slightly different flavour in its more bluesy approach, combined with an upbeat, jazzy horn section that, while a departure from much of the earlier material on the album acts like the golden glow of the setting sun in bidding the listener farewell with promises of even better things yet to come.
.............Additional bonus tracks include a shredding instrumental remix of "Sheet Metal" which brings the Wizard's six-string prowess to the fore while displaying just what a tight rhythm section Michaud and Sandquist are, as well as an alternate version of "Dream Girl", a heavier remix of "Make My Day", a really cool slab of epic guitarwork in title-track "The Journey Begins" creepily narrated by the Wizard in fine Ozzy-inspired style, and last, but not least, a grand remix of "Snakebite" that showcases the Wizard's effective layering of keyboards in tandem with some truly heavy guitars that make this one of the most purely Metallic tracks on the album.
.............In conclusion, The Journey Begins is exceptionally strong for a debut release, offering a mixed bag of classic rock influences layered on top of true Heavy Metal to create an album harking back to the days when there was no shame in wearing a good pair of well-worn leather pants, and a blistering guitar solo was music to the ears! So to those of you who say Metal is dead, slap in a copy of SNAKE EYES The Journey Begins, throw on the headphones and crank it to 11. You won't be disappointed.
Ciaran J. Meeks
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