|  Comments:To
commemorate a new partnership with the Italian label Frontier Records,
Nikolo Kotzev felt it was a good time to reflect a little on his
past triumphs. As a result, we are privileged to feast our ears
on this live documentary of Brazen Abbot in concert. Though renowned
for using three vocalists on the studio efforts, this particular
album solely features the vocal work of the great Joe Lynn Turner
as well as their last studio effort, “Guilty As Sin.”
The
disc lists a total of 14 tracks, but once you dispense of the introduction
and the solos that are credited as tracks in their own right, it
comes down to 11 tracks. Actually 10 tracks as “Guilty As
Sin,” is separated into two parts. Part 1 is the composition
itself, while Part 2 is the extended duel of Kotzev on guitar versus
the keyboards of Lars Pollack. OK, so the studio version presents
Kotzev guitar work combating against his own violin playing, but
obvious logistics makes this impossible, even for Kotzev.
As
for Joe Lynn Turner himself, he is in fine form as always while
sounding quite at home with the material and the crowd. After the
building introduction, the band blasts into the Deep Purple-influenced
“Mr. Earthman,” taken from the Guilty As Sin album.
The studio version featured the powerful vocals of Jorn Lande, but
Joe does a stellar job here as he does throughout the album. Just
check out his diversity by skipping forward and listening to the
soulfully gorgeous “I’ll Be Free.” Kotzev starts
off on the acoustic guitar and changes gears about halfway through,
transferring to the electric, guitar renovating the song into a
terrific power ballad. Kotzev is also impressive with his solid
harmonic vocal work.
Fortunately,
the album does not get bogged down in power ballads with the energy
level consistently high and very dynamic. And the crowd loves it
when Nikolo gives Joe the liberty of presenting two Rainbow songs
“Can’t Let Go,” and “I Surrender.”.They
appear to be in perfect tandem when compared with the very accessible
Abbot song “Supernatural,” also taken from Guilty As
Sin.
There
is very little to complain about this album. According to Nikolo
himself, there are no overdubs, and it is what it is: a live documentation
of the band in concert. I guess the one oversight I noticed was
the track listing not living up to its title. With the exception
of the powerhouse closer “Road To Hell” taken from the
album Eye Of The Storm, the brunt of the album focuses on the last
studio effort Guilty As Sin. Though a strong album in its own right,
focusing on Guilty As Sin does not make A Decade Of Brazen Abbot
a comprehensive overview of the past. That said, the album offers
the studio bonus track “Love Is On Our Side,” which
is a glorious acoustic version that initially appeared on the Bad
Religion album.
For
those of you interested in securing a little more information about
the band and its history, you might want to check out the DVD of
the same title. Though the track listing is very similar, the DVD
also includes snippets of present and past vocalists, of Brazen
Abbot being interviewed, as well as actually showing them in the
studio going through the creative process with Kotzev. And creative
and talented he is, and so much more than just a guitar player.
Favorite
track: The shades of Deep Purple prominent on the opening track
“Mr. Earthman,” sets the entire tone of the album and
a great kick off it is. However, the contrasting power ballad “I’ll
Be Free,” comes a close second.
Bottom
line: The album prominently features the last studio effort Guilty
As Sin rather than effectively documenting the entire decade of
Brazen Abbot. Nevertheless, it is solid introduction to those not
familiar with the group and solid documentation of a live concert
that Brazen Abbot fans should not pass up.
Band
line up: Nikolo Kotzev - guitar and vocals; Joe Lynn Turner - vocals
and acoustic guitar; Lars Pollack - keyboards and vocals - Wayne
Banks - bass and vocals; Thomas Broman - drums |
