Talisman
Humanimal

At the dawn of the mid-'90s, when no one talked about hard rock anymore, credit must be given to this Swedish sextet for giving birth to a forgotten gem, which had little to envy the great full-lengths released during the golden age of the genre.

The Talisman are indeed a sextet, let's say, but for convenience, we can also reduce them to two individuals: the American singer Jeff Scott Soto and the Swedish bassist Marcel Jacob, both famous for their past at the court of Yngwie Malmsteen.

Following their debut in 1990 with the self-titled album and the subsequent "Genesis" in 1993, in this album Talisman offers a hard and impactful rock that often borders on hard n' heavy, with more refined funky intuitions introduced in its predecessor, for an exciting album that I believe can be defined as the rightful successor to Extreme's "Pornograffitti," albeit with the necessary distinctions.

Even if the first 20 acoustic seconds of the opener might betray what the rest of the album will be, "3233 Colour my XTC" immediately sets things straight and reveals itself as a simply breathtaking song with a killer drive, seamlessly flowing into "Fabricated War," another standout track that alternates more melodious and relaxed moments with the usual frontal assault the band has accustomed us to. With "Tainted Pages", the band's new funk influences begin to emerge, becoming dominant especially in the atmospheric "Seasons" and in "Tv Reality", a song that's nothing short of stunning and, in my opinion, the best track on the album and in Talisman's entire career. Listen just to the intro and chorus to believe it.

While there are other tracks that leave little respite for the gray matter, like the devastating title track or "Blissful Garden", one cannot say that tracks like "D.O.A.P.S.", "Lonely World", and "Delusions Of Grandeur" have anything less, and are songs I would include in a road trip compilation. Talisman lacks nothing, at least in this album; they embody hard rock in the truest sense, perhaps only matched by Tesla and at times Ratt. They skillfully integrate funkier parts, and Jeff Scott Soto is probably at the peak of his long and honorable career. Could ballads be missing? No, and while "All + All" doesn't leave much of a mark being slightly too radio-oriented, "Since You've Gone" is instead a killer track, genuinely melting with its delicate acoustic chords and Soto's anguished, heartfelt, and melancholic interpretation. The fun "Doin' Time With My Baby" closes an album without too many pretensions that made me reconsider how even in the mid-90s, one could still find bands playing great hard rock. Without keyboards or overly "American" and overly '80s choruses, moreover.

They were a great band, these Talisman, and even though their debut album never spoke much to me, from this album onwards, up to their last in 2006, there has always been something worth listening to. Unfortunately, the untimely death of Marcel Jacob on July 21, 2009, extinguished a dream that deserved far better audiences and outcomes, but it's always the same story. Repeated way too many times. Forever Rock On.