Search - Bozzio Levin Stevens :: Situation Dangerous

What, it's only three guys doing all this? Naww..

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 04/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Side projects are such a risky venture, aren't they? At first you never know whether they'll be genuine collaborations or mutual wank-fests meant to be sold on name recognition. I'll admit to being a little biased since I approached this album as a huge fan of Bozzio and Levin.. and since all I knew about Steve Stevens was that he'd been Billy Idol's guitarist, I was just hoping he wouldn't be too annoying. I'm not proud to admit that. I am, however, glad to say I was very wrong indeed. Steve is all over the place - heavy here, quiet there, soloing here, adding layers of texture to the recording I probably still haven't heard yet. Terry Bozzio is like a man possessed. I imagine him thrashing madly behind the drum set, jumping from one percussive oddity to the next with the manic grin of a mad scientist at work. Tony Levin (once again) adds a monster low end like no one else, laying a foundation so solid you could walk on it yet sneaking in licks that are nothing short of masterful. I guess he missed the memo that bass players aren't supposed to do that stuff. Enough. On with the music. It's a little different from their previous album Black Light Syndrome in that it's not all improvised. It's instrumental hard rock that'll appeal to fans of Jeff Beck or Liquid Tension Experiment (which also included Levin - coincidence? I think not.). It manages to twist your mind through wild solos, time changes executed with mathematical precision, and a level of musical variety almost worthy of a Steve Morse album. There's a lot of hard rock, a quiet moody tune or two, just a little jazz and a touch of flamenco. "Spiral" and "Endless" are quiet and atmospheric enough for Brian Eno fans, while prog-heads will just love trying to count the time signatures throughout "Crash." I could almost joke that the title of "Dangerous" refers to the risk of a copyright lawsuit, considering that they practically quote outright from Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." Instrumental magic, technical brilliance, hard rock, intelligent prog, call it what you want. If you like music that'll fire up your brain cells and still shred wallpaper, this is worth a good listen or two.. or two dozen. Enjoy."

Better than their previous...but not much.

Robert W | 08/31/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD at least sounds like it had more thought and effort behind it than Black Light Syndrome. It is a better engineered and recorded album, and the music sounds much more refined rather than the hurried rushed tracks of the former. Still I would expect more from these 3.



And once again, any one expecting something to the effect of Liquid Tension Experiment...as these 3 have been compared to....forget it. You'll be disappointed if you like LTE."

Excellent Sophmore Release

Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 10/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 2nd album from these instrumental superstars is even better than their first one in my opinion. The album features more variety with blistering rock and soft acoustic interludes. All 3 musicians shine throughout with Steve Stevens again displaying much more versatility than any of his work with Billy Idol. His flamenco guitar flourishes are a highlight of the softer tracks on the disc. Bozzio is all over the place as well adding various percussion nuances that lesser musicians would never even dream of. Levin, of course is as solid as ever. Overall I think this is a stronger release than the debut. If you love fun instrumental workouts this album is a great one. Let's hope they put something else out one of these days."