Tesla
Simplicity Frontiers Records
Tesla will always mean something to this reviewer; 'Edison’s Medicine' was played so much from the album 'Psychotic Supper' that said album is worn out! Fast forward a fair few years and Tesla's last album 'Forever More' was greatly welcomed into our household and showed Tesla can still rock and we even got to see the band strut their stuff live and were within reaching distance of the band. So yes I am a bit of a fan, in fact so much so I remember being at a heavy metal gig wearing my treasured Tesla shirt and some fool saying “Tesla they aren’t very metal are they!?!” What a complete Idiot! Geesh !
Yes I love my hard, fast, death defying metal as much as the next Metalhead. But Tesla, well they are special, and have something so unique that they still manage to have me salivating and being transported into Tesla's world of hard rocking anthems and dual guitars is so damn easy I tell you. And the new album 'Simplicity' is catchy and stupendously fantastic, just as it was way back in the 80's when the band first appeared on the scene.
What I love about Tesla, is the fact they say what they think and have never ever pulled any punches and yeah, they don’t with the opening track 'MP3', now if you are old enough you will know the song 'Signs' (Five Man Electrical Band) that Tesla covered back in the day and boy they tell you how it is with 'MP3'. It opens with the crackle of an old vinyl and then lets loose with some telling lyrics and makes you think how the digital age is ruining, and basically destroying everything, I mean my old album 'Psychotic Supper' is a worn and played out phonograph record, now it’s all digital, it’s kind of not the same is it? Owning a piece of thin air? Well Tesla tell you how it is, the world is indeed out of touch and we do need to think and revert back this is a very thought provoking song to open up a tremendous offering from these Sacramento rockers.
'Ricochet' bounces into the room and tells you Tesla are back! A song about playing live, rocking and tearing it up night after night, turn this up and shake your booty as the boys deliver some mighty fine tracks, with some nice guitar licks as the song progresses hell yeah Tesla are back with a scorching new album and what better way to announce their arrival. So many great tracks on here, there really is, take for example the third song in 'Rise and Fall', this is a classic Tesla sounding tune, love it!! Then we get some acoustics with the uplifting 'So Divine', it’s got a transcendent quality and ticks all the boxes for me as an acoustic number and sees the band doing what they do best.
Some deep southern blues are the order of the day with the super 'Cross My Heart', it’s a rocking racoon on Ritalin kind of number with some tonky honky tonk piano playing. A baleful song is up next with “Honestly” a song about surviving in the world and doing the best that you can, it’s a subtle nice number. Get your dancing shoes back on, party, groove and kick back as 'Flip Side' delivers harmonics and blues drenched riffs to have you singing and shouting the chorus. 'Other Than Me' slows the mood again and is simply pleasant. 'Break of Dawn' is a meatier number, it barrels down the road, skidding and squealing, the heaviest number on here and with the album opener my favourite songs.
Penultimate on 'Simplicity' is a song about reminiscence, what’s gone before and regrets. I understand there are different versions of the new album. Unfortunately I only have the eleven track version for review so for me 'Simplicity' ends with 'Life is a River', a look on life and making the most of what you have, a lovely inspiring very short tune to end an excellent return for these Sacramento rockers. Not bad for “Bunch of tomato farmers from Sacramento”! (Nikki Sixx).
One of the best melodic hard rocking albums I have heard this year. Fabulous!
Review by: Seb Di Gatto
Tracklisting:
1. MP3
2. Ricochet
3. Rise And Fall
4. So Divine ...
5. Cross My Heart
6. Honesty
7. Flip Side!
8. Other Than Me
9. Break Of Dawn
10. Burnout To Fade
11. Life Is A River
