Heavy Glow
Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine
Whoooa… it’s flashback time! I never even took any acid, but this heavy rocking group out of Cleveland (all together: “Cleveland rocks!” air guitar flail”) brings back those late ’60s, early ’70s late night radio shows. The guitar work (Jared Mullins) is not just heavy, it’s downright ponderous. The sound is tweaked up to be a bit fuzzier than the old vinyl discs, but the urgency and sense that something important is going down drips from this collection. They compare themselves to “Cactus” and “Humble Pie” and “Deep Purple Mark II,” and if you don’t grok what those mean I suggest you get yourself on YouTube and see what granddaddy rocked out to. The songs begin down and dirty, “45 Shakedown “and “‘Mine all Mine “are strobe light ready and before there were techno and house drops these were these guitar riffs that got crowds on their feet.
But it’s not all 4/4 riffs and drum solos. By the middle of the album things have slowed down and on “Hello September” there emerges a more restrained playing style. “Robin Trower” or “Traffic” form the models here and our tour of the 60’s takes on an extra layer of virtuosity. True, this is introspective heavy metal, it’s a bit wussy but who has the energy to rock and roll all night long and party every day anymore? Not my demographic. Had Heavy Glow surfaced 30 years ago they would be in the “Gods of Guitar” wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but today they are just a bright up-and-coming act with a great sound and some serious songwriting skills.
Heavy Glow: http://www.heavyglowmusic.com
