Warhorse
Warhorse

The Warhorse is the project conceived by the original Deep Purple bassist, that Nick Simper who, after three albums with the Deeps, left the group in July 1969 because he was oppressed and crushed by the unwavering and growing personalities of various members such as Lord, Gillian, and especially His Majesty Blackmore.
The group officially emerged in June 1970, and along with the bassist in his new project were the semi-unknown Ashley Holt on vocals, Ged Peck as guitarist, Frank Wilson on keyboards, and finally Mac Poole on drums.

The sound crafted by the five Englishmen is a very effective Hard Rock clearly derived from Deep Purple, quite pleasant and sharp where necessary. In some compositions, amidst the keyboard and piano arrangements, there are also vague references to bands like Uriah Heep and Iron Butterfly.

The self-titled album emerged in 1970 and was recorded at Trident Studios in London. The songs that shape the work and, in my opinion, make it enjoyable are certainly Woman Of The Devil and Ritual, which showcase the band tackling a very relentless and driven rock.
Also very interesting are the more studied and complex No Chance and Solitude, much more restrained and typically progressive tracks, even with dark undertones.
Noteworthy in the album is the over-the-top performance of singer Holt in the cover St. Louis, a song that would have a decent commercial future.

Without a doubt, the five musicians demonstrate skill and a good familiarity with their instruments, although sometimes in various compositions they seem to play with the brakes slightly on, and lack that extra something that would raise them above the average.
Subsequently in 1971, the band, also seeing the meager sales of the first work, returned with the successor to Warhorse, the album is Red Sea and features a line-up change. In place of Peck, Peter Parks arrives as the guitarist, more endowed than his predecessor and capable of tasteful solos. But the level of Red Sea did not reach the qualitative results of the debut album, and even in terms of innovation, no major changes were made. These results later forced Nick Simper to dissolve the band in 1974 and begin occasional collaborations with Rick Wakeman.

In conclusion, these Warhorse did not leave anything new or particular to posterity but can surely captivate those like me who love a certain type of rock with progressive veins from the early seventies. Worth knowing.