Tesla
Mechanical Resonance

THE REVIEW

How many of you know Tesla?
Judging by the number of reviews about this band on the site, I’d say hardly anyone. Maybe in our country, they've taken a back seat, but in America, this is a very famous group that has composed numerous chart-topping hits characterized by a typical hard-blues sound where virtuosic guitars intertwine, and Keith's gritty voice fits perfectly. Certainly, a consistent and noteworthy group that has never disappointed fans' expectations, delivering albums always up to the mark, keeping up with the times without ever succumbing to the cliché or the commercial.

The band debuted with this little masterpiece of hard rock, a flying start for the Californians which was followed by other worthy works, including some excellent live albums. The album in question, dated 1986, represents a remarkable starting point. We are in the midst of the Hair/Glam era, Grunge is at the door, Heavy Metal is now an established genre, and the last echoes of Hard Rock are being heard (albeit less frequently). Tesla places itself in this latter circle, offering us a return to Aerosmith-style hard rock of the golden years, with riffs echoing southern blues and loads of grit. The record contains some of what would reveal themselves as classics of the band, starting with the opening track: "EZ Come EZ Go", a lively, energetic, and captivating piece. Right from the start, you can feel Steven Tyler's influence on Jeff Keith's singing style, and his gritty voice, accompanied by the excellent guitar duet, is memorable. It’s followed by the roaring "Comin Atcha Live", in my opinion the band’s best track which starts at full throttle with Keith's scream resonating after the distorted intro. The track is an emotional crescendo, and the guitars intertwine almost as if it were a challenge, a classic gritty and raw Hard Rock piece. Then it moves to "Gettin' Better": a fast and lightning piece, reminiscent a bit of "Shout It Out Loud" by KISS, starting slow and finishing at full speed. Now we've reached two great tracks: "2 Late 4 Love" and "Rock Me to The Top", both supported by Keith's relentless voice and the usual fast and direct guitar solos, the melodies in both pieces are catchy, noteworthy are the beautiful notes opening the second piece.

A note of discredit for the bland "We're No Good Together" which slows down the tempo, but not positively, a ballad with little style that doesn’t engage. The following song returns to hard and dirty tones, I’m talking about the excellent "Modern Day Cowboy", a Tesla hit among my favorite songs of the band. The theme addressed is the Western imagination, the chorus is fast and gritty, pauses and riffs alternate for the album's climax. It returns to a ballad, but this time the result is much better, I’m talking about "Changes", melancholic and sweet, which anticipates another great track: "Little Suzi" (a cover of Ph.D) performed masterfully and introduced by a pleasant acoustic piece. Concluding the album: "Love Me", "Cover Queen" and "Before My Eyes", three tracks that neither add nor subtract from the album's overall outcome, which remains one of the best Hard Rock products of the late '80s.

Tesla begins their climb to success here, with a start that couldn’t have been better, a start full of well-played rock, lively and melodic that takes us directly back to those years. The band throughout its career has been (and still is today) underrated, but a true Hard Rock enthusiast cannot miss an album like this, which is a testament to a classy debut that shows the band’s evolution in sound, still active today, that will be able to perfect itself even in subsequent works, always offering fresh, innovative, and never repetitive products.

"Here I Come, Better Step Aside "Here I Come, I’m Comin’ Atcha live"