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Rating:
I start by greeting the De-Baserians!
As my first review, I would like to propose an album by a completely underrated and perhaps little-known band, but in my opinion, worthy of earning its place in rock history, thanks in particular to the immense technical skill of each of its members.
Jeff Martin (a singer with a vitriolic voice, and also a drummer for Gilbert himself), Scott Travis (drummer, also in Judas Priest), John Alderete (talented bassist), and (most importantly) Paul Gilbert on guitar... these are the names behind the Racer X project; and here is 'Technical Difficulties,' an album dated 2000 and the band's third studio album, which hit the market after a long absence of 12 years (or 7 if considering the live albums Extreme Volume I and II). During these years, Gilbert had various experiences both in bands (how can we forget his time with Mr. Big?) and as a solo artist, experiences that were certainly complex and varied, but what he never lost was his unstoppable hard rock fervor.
So, after a too-prolonged absence from the market, he decided to reunite with his three bandmates and release this album of pure and simple heavy-metal; the album is indeed a burst of energy and power from start to finish. Play... and we're off with "Phallic Tractor", a song of just a minute that serves as an intro to the album's first real hit: "Fire of Rock", composed by Gilbert himself in the early years of his tenure with Racer X and often played live but never before recorded in the studio, it opens with a riff that shoots out at full throttle; Martin's voice immediately makes its presence felt with its powerful and crystal-clear impact. This version of the song gains additional strength and energy.
After this initial burst, we move on to "Snakebite", opened by a guitar-drum intro that leads into a song in pure speed-metal, a characteristic of the California-based group since their debut. Impressionable in this song is the acrobatic solo by Gilbert and Martin's voice, which reaches unattainable heights (worthy of the best Halford!). Then comes the first instrumental of the CD, "Technical Difficulties", which gives the entire CD its name: here too, amid various keyboard inserts, one can appreciate the great skill of the musicians; especially Gilbert and Alderete, who are the authors of excellent guitar-bass dialogues. Then "Miss Mistreater" arrives, revealing the more jolly side of the group, with lyrics that are a bit "provocative" but always supported by the great instrumental mastery of the members. A rumble of an engine introduces us to "Bolt in my Heart", a song with a driving groove interpreted by an inspired Martin, at ease singing about engines, speed, and American highways.
After these lighter songs, if they can be called that, we return to heavy sounds with "17th moon", an aggressive and steady-paced song narrating space adventures... and it's precisely a background of noises and effects from the deepest cosmos that introduces us to the CD's only slow song: "Waiting", a moment of intimate calm, as in most of the songs written by Martin alone; excellent solos by Gilbert, capable of blending technique with the melody essential to create the atmosphere of this ballad. The pace returns to more determined and pressing tempos with "Poison Eyes", and indeed we also go back in time: this song was already proposed years earlier by the band and indeed credits its authorship to Bruce Bouillet, who unfortunately is no longer part of the band's lineup. No complaints here either: a song with an excellent rhythm section and a chorus with more ethereal atmospheres.
It's time for "B.R.O.", another instrumental but with a peculiarity, as this is an experiment dear to Gilbert: it is in fact "Prelude in D minor" by J.S. Bach rearranged and performed entirely on guitar! The piece takes on a whole new light when performed with such a modern instrument as an electric guitar can be, and it might raise some eyebrows, but the skill and preparation of Gilbert in performing it, and also in practically proposing one of these "revisited" classical music gems in every CD he appears on, is undeniable. Then comes "God of the Sun": a mid-tempo whose lyrics quite visibly nod to "Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden ("the white eyes came across the sea, bringing pain and misery"....). A track not as immediate as the previous ones and possibly requiring more listens to be appreciated, given the special vocal and instrumental lines aimed at evoking atmospheres and rituals of Native Americans.
We return to more "easy-listening" paths and make another leap back in time with "Give it to me", a song with very explicit lyrics and references, but with an irresistibly catchy rhythm. Also noteworthy is the mini bass solo by Alderete that closes the song. Then comes "The Executioner's Song", a slow and heavy song, obsessive in its progression and in its evoking gloomy atmospheres and macabre thoughts from the mind of a ruthless executioner. We reach the end, and the album closes with an excellent cover of "Children of the Grave" by Black Sabbath, also performed masterfully by the four "metal superheroes": particularly notable is Travis's performance on drums and the instrumental conclusion entrusted to Gilbert's creativity.
In short, in conclusion, it's an excellent album, performed by capable and passionate people who make music not so much for money, but for inspiration and fun; certainly, you won't hear about this band on MTV or similar, but that's only a good thing.
Personally, I recommend it to all fans of hard rock and classic heavy metal (particularly evident are some influences from "colleagues" Judas Priest), who will not regret listening to this little gem. I personally consider it even superior to its successor, the much more famous "Superheroes": perhaps fewer modern sounds and distortion effects and sampling on the voice and instruments, but just a more raw, powerful, and direct sound as good old Heavy-metal should be!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Snakebite (04:23)
[Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis]
Comes way after midnight
Slinks around the alleys of your mind
Wakes you and you're breathless
Cannot figure out waht's deep inside you
A strike will come you'll least expect
Aaaw no, there's a snakebite coming
From inside your mind
Wide eyed, left in wonder
In the dark the poison feeds your mind
Praying for an angel
A spirit in your heart you've left enshrined
There's no rescue there's no escape
Awww no, there's a snakebite coming
From inside your mind
How much longer can you stand this
Anxiety, the guilt, the fear, the doubt
A coiling hiss of madness
At its will a tongue that lashes out
Your heart will pound out deep regrets
Awww no, there's a snakebite coming
From inside your mind
There's a snakebite coming from inside
There's a snakebite coming from inside
There's a snakebite coming from inside
Your mind
06 Bolt in My Heart (04:10)
[Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert]
Got the gear, got the gas, got compression
She's the one gonna lesson my load
I'll make her shine in a cold pure perfection
Feel the gleam as I'm startin' to roll
Pouring on the speedway heat
She is my concrete connection
I fly wiht a
I ride with a
I glide with a bolt in my heart
I'm alive gonna
Power dive hit my
Overdrive with this bolt in my heart
Ain't no losin'
Got my movin' and
My groovin' all the way now
I ain't lookin' for divine intervention
Turn the key, hit the gas, and I go
My direction is cast to the concrete
I ain't going where the Down Boys go
Moving to the asphalt beat
I am a moter mutation
Run away, run
Run to stay
Gonna make my way with this bolt in my heart
Parallel fire, I'm
Speed for hire, been a
Road vampire
Pablo give me some guitar
Accelerate, accumulate
No time to give to vindicate
Lubricate 'n' desecrate
I'll make the air disintegrate
Aggravate and decimate
A navigatin' heavy weight
Pounding down hard cross the ground
I fly wiht a
I ride with a
I glide with a bolt in my heart
I lean with my
Bad machine
My morphine is this bolt in my heart
Gonna fly
Gonna get real high
Least I'll try with a bolt in my heart
Runaway, run
Run to stay
Gonna make my way with this bolt in my heart
Ain't no losin' got my movin' and my
Groovin all day now
Can't deny it gets me high
When I'm speedin' and I'm
Peelin' down the asphalt way now
With this bolt in my heart
07 17th Moon (04:06)
[Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis]
Spinning around its master
Its master is setting it free
Hurling into the void now
Between the earth and he
Sea of sulfurid acid
Sky of ammonia and lead
A monteraneous world
Soon to be covered in red
Breath of carbon dioxide
A satellite of the dead
You've just realized
Don't be surprised
A day will come soon of 17th Moon
The 17th Moon comin' soon
Whirling and twirling and spitting out fire
Belching out tons of stream
It was once a small point in the sky
Getting closer or so it seems
Jupiter didn't want it
Venus moved out of its way
A barreling ball of gases
Its evil is coming this day
Crushing down all around us
Now you got the piper to pay
You've just realized
Don't be surprised
A day will come soon of 17th Moon
The 17th Moon comin' soon
Streams of rusty poison
Stripping of its back
Heard for the god of war
Yes, Mars is under attack
Hundreds of millions of whispers
Floating upon the air
Beggars of God's forgiveness
All so unprepared
Churches full of people
Souls so unrepaired
Don't be surprised
You've just realize
A day will come soon of the 17th Moon
Rivers flowing of arsenic
Lakes of Mercury
Come to end your existence
Coming to set you free
A monsteranous world
Comes for you and me
You've just realized
Don't be surprised
A day will come soon of 17th Moon
The 17th Moon comin' soon
08 Waiting (04:29)
[Jeff Martin]
You rock my world out of its place
You took my soul out of its space
There's no denying, sad but true
I just can't get over you
I sit alone right by the phone
Waiting
For your love
Waiting
So hard to find, you're so unkind
I feel you near time after time
At the sunrise I'm still awake
I see my hopes a sad and fake
I bid this rhyme just killin' time
And waiting
In the dark
Waiting
From nine to nine your on my mind
Can't seem to shake this time
You and your desappearing game
What I'm left is quite insane
In the park or in the dark
Anytime your on my mind as I'm
Waiting
Waiting
Waiting
Waiting
09 Poison Eyes (04:17)
[Paul Gilbert, Jeff Martin, Bruce Bouillet]
Kicked in the teeth
I fell down on the floor
Smooth talkin' won't save me now that's for sure
I can't deny the truth
Well I might have tried, but she's got the proof
I thought that I was smooth
She's on to all my moves
You can't desguise poison eyes
She wants my life, I can't hide from
Poison eyes (your eyes)
357 in nylons and rouge
Hunting me down she said she's been used
There's nothing left to say
If she catches up she'll blow me away
She pulled the hammer down
Wants me face on the ground
You can't desguise poison eyes
She wants my life, I can't hide from
Poison eyes
She crashed through the door
She said, "I won't be your fool no more"
Smiles, and pulls the hammer back
Get even or bust, she's on the attack
(shoot me)
You can't desguise poison eyes
She wants my life, I can't hide,
I can't hide, I can't hide from your eyes
You can't desguise poison eyes
It's time to die for my lies
(from your)
Poison, Poison, Poison eyes
12 Give It to Me (03:15)
[Bruce Bouillet, Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert]
I know it's true
Know what you wanna do
I can see
See what you want from me
'Cause your eyes show it
Yeah, Your eyes show it
Your eyes show it to me
(what you need)
Your body talks
Its shoutin' when you walk
That's the language I read
It screams I got the need
You know I know it
I know you know it
I know just want you need
All shaken up in love
Give it to me, gotta give it to me
I'm hooked, I got the buzz
Give it to me
Can't ya see what you're doin' to me
'Cause your eyes show it
Yeah, your eyes show it
Your eyes show it to me
All shaken up in love
Give it to me, gotta give it to me
I'm hooked, I got the buzz
Give it to me
Can't ya see what you're doin' to me
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