 BRAZEN
ABBOT
A Decade of Brazen Abbot
Frontiers Records 2004
official site
What’s the 4-1-1?
Bulgarian rock mavens celebrate a decade of success with a live album recorded
in their homeland.
Genre
Hard rock / melodic rock
The Good
“Mr. Earthman” starts things off with a combination of keyboards
and guitar, and then Joe Lynn Turner kicks in with some passionate vocals. Brazen
Abbot brings up the tempo up a bit on “One Life to Live”. Rhythmic
chugga-chugga guitars and soft keyboard tones dominate. Kotzev lays down a mean
solo on this one. “Guilty As Sin Part 1” is a mid-tempo power ballad
of sorts, while “Guilty As Sin Part 2” is a ferocious guitar heavy
instrumental.
Joe Lynn Turner is at his melodic rock best on “Supernatural”. His
vocals are smooth and tuneful. The choruses are delivered in a great two-part
vocal harmony.
This far into the album you'll hear that Joe tries to fit in a ‘hey’ or
a ‘huh’ anywhere he can. It doesn't surprise me that Joe Lynn Turner
was responsible for some of the most memorable power anthems of the 1980s. “Can’t
Let You Go” is right on par with them, with its understated verse section
and its passionate, over-the-top chorus. Kotzev busts out his chops on the
Rainbow classic “I Surrender”, and will have you stating the same.
As a special bonus Brazen Abbot includes an acoustic studio version of “Love
Is on Our Side”.
If you’re someone that prefers your live performances to be visual,
Brazen Abbot also released a DVD of these performances, also titled A Decade
of Brazen Abbot. The DVD was shot documentary style. It combines the three
live performances and interview segments with Nikolo and the rest of Brazen
Abbot, past and present. You get the lowdown on their very beginnings, their
many adventures together, and what their up to now. Also included are rare
television performances and acoustic jam sessions that the gang has done over
the past decade.
The Bad
You need to save the keyboard and drum solos for the show. Does anybody really
sit there and listen to them on disc? Also, the keyboards tended dominate the
mix. I don't know if it's meant that way or it was just overlooked in mixing
process.
The Verdict
Not too shabby for a band that's virtually unknown in the U.S. I can only imagine
the high that they got from performing 10 years worth of their hits in front
of three sold-out shows in their homeland. I would have preferred a greatest
hits package containing the studio versions myself.
Did You Know?
Past members of Brazen Abbot have included Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple) and
Jorn Lande (ex-Ark, current Masterplan).
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Brazen Abbott - My Resurrection
Joe Lynn Turner - The Usual Suspects
--George Dionne
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