The Company Of Snakes
“Burst The Bubble”
(Steamhammer / SPV)
With three of the original members of Whitesnake, Micky Moody (guitars), Bernie Marsden (guitars) and Neil Murray (bass), along with new additions Don Airey (keyboards), Stefan Berggren (vocals) and John Lingwood (drums), the ’80s “Brit hair band” sound returns under the guise of Company Of Snakes. Using some contemporary touches, Company Of Snakes manages to bring that good ol’ hard rock sound that swept the ’80s into the 21st Century.
I really didn’t find many tracks that stood out and grabbed my attention, but the ones that did are worthy efforts. “Hurricane” would qualify as a power ballad, but the guitar hook at the beginning, the absence of anything remotely related to the blues, an interesting melody line both musically and vocally and some great harmonies set this song apart. “Back To The Blues” actually sounds more modern than most of the songs, with it’s hyped up bass and rhythm guitar and well presented vocal. “Can’t Go Back” uses keyboards, as well as guitars, for emphasis and has the best instrumental on the album. The vocal isn’t bad either.
There’s a pretty fair mix of mid-tempo rock, bluesy rock and power ballads on the 15 track “Burst The Bubble.” I have to admit it’s a little strange hearing plain 4/4 rock with a blues edge from a standard lineup of band instruments these days. This may be a new album, but it’s totally classic rock oriented. The songs are performed well, the vocals are clear and the lyrics are pretty typical, with an underlying theme of love throughout. Definitely for fans of Whitesnake and ’80s rock.
