Warhorse
Red Sea

A year after the release of their first album in 1970, Nick Simper and company reunited to record what would be their second and final album, Red Sea, released in '72. Compared to Warhorse, the lineup changed with the departure of guitarist Ged Peck, replaced by Peter Parks (who left the Black August).

As in their first work, the sound is quite progressive, with strong hard rock influences, rich in moments reminiscent of Deep Purple (unsurprisingly, bassist Nick Simper was part of them for the first three albums). The recordings were done in a rush due to the poor financial situation of the record label, but despite this, the group managed to express a warm and mature rock, capable of granting space to all musicians to showcase their talents.

The first track is the title track marked by guitar and organ riffs, with a good solo in the middle section. Well sung, with high notes reminiscent of Ian Gillan, and excellent rhythm section with a bold bass and drums that never sit still. Certainly a fine example of hard prog. We could say the same for "Back In Time", whose length of a good 7 minutes is explained by the extended guitar solo that follows the uproar made by the five English boys. 180 seconds of silence broken only by screams, riffs, and surges of Peter Parks' black Telecaster, surely a good guitarist. More carefree "Confident But Wrong", a pleasantly marked song by organ and guitar, with Ashley Holt's powerful voice screaming. After an almost classical keyboard interlude, a return to the initial theme. Certainly won't be remembered among the greatest songs in history, but it's always nice for us rock lovers to listen to songs like these.

"Feeling Better" follows the reasoning explained earlier, where the voice takes the lead, with high notes fading at the end, on a beautiful piano base. Among other things, the calmest song on the album. "Sybilla" is instead a hard rock that leans more towards America, in the style of Grand Funk Railroad, without many pretensions, but still pleasant to listen to, always returning to the concept mentioned above. Drummer Mac Poole also gets an opportunity to shine with "Mouthpiece", a track full of rolls, unsurprisingly the longest piece of the work with its over 8 minutes. Solo following the era's standards with fast rolls and double bass. Interesting how the left foot (the hi-hat pedal) never stops despite the arms moving at high speed. There's even room to do "Oh Susanna" with some drums. Remarkable. It ends on a slightly melancholic note with the beautiful "I (Who Have Nothing)", made so by the addition of choirs to the organ and guitar lamenting over the always well-laid bass and drum base.

Without a doubt a good group, Warhorse, which for fans of Deep Purple-like rock could be a great discovery.