Jekyll & Hyde - Heavenly Creatures
Breaking The Silence I Am King Of Pain In Your Dreams Jekyll & Hyde Peace Child Holy Ground Blood On My Hands Point Of No Return Everlasting Last Time Ten Years Gone Label: Z Records Year: 1998 Producer: Jekyll & Hyde Total Playing Time: 62:04 m:s
I'd been listening to an advance tape of this for a few weeks. Initially it got a cool reception, but it had slowly been gaining favour. Just as I was about the type up the review, the real thing dropped through my letterbox.
Jekyll & Hyde include Jake Samuel (ex Talisman) and Pontus Norgren (ex Great King Rat). This is the debut release by new UK record label Z Records. I guess it says it all about the state of the UK rock scene, when the first release is Scandi-metal.
Musically, the band owes a lot to those most dangerous chaps - Guns 'n' Roses. The vocalist also does a good Axl Rose impersonation at times. Although I own Appetite For Destruction, I'm not a huge fan of GnR. Maybe that's got more to do with the "who's in the band this week" etc sagas than the music.
So, having proclaimed 'We're the next GnR', do J&H manage to pull it off. Whilst first listening to the advance tape, I wasn't convinced that they even came close. But like I said earlier it was starting to grow on me. I guess I must be programmed into expecting the 'CD sound', because now that I've had a chance to listen to the CD, I've warmed to J&H. It still sounds a touch heavy and raw to suit my personal tastes, but I can see it has merits. I'm sure it will still be making visits to my CD player in a few months time.
The songs that work best for me are the GnR-like uptempo rockers I Am, King Of Pain & Peace Child, the 8 min ballad Blood On My Hands and the atypical lighter-weight vaguely funk-metal of Everlasting. Nothing on here sounds quite as memorable as the songs on Appetite For Destruction, but AFD is a metal classic.
If you like you're music with a metal edge to it, then it is worth checking out.
Rating: 7/8
