Band
Various Artists
Title
Blackmore's Castle Vol. 2
Type
LP/EP
Company
Lion Music
YOR
2005
Style
Hard Rock
Popular Reviews
Various Artists - Blackmore's Castle Vol. 2 - A Tribute To Blackmore and Rainbow - 2005 - Lion Music
Track Listing1. Domain – “Stormbringer”
2.Michael Harris – “Lady Of The Lake”
3.Dogpound – “Mary Long”
4.Orion Riders – “Burn”
5.Daniel Flores & Friends – “I Surrender”
6.Baltimoore – “Kill The King”
7.Rolf Munkes/Gerald Kloos – “All Night Long”
8.Man On Fire – “Maybe A Leo”
9.Chris Catena – “Mistreated”
10. House Of Shakira – “Starstruck”
11. Takara – “Cant Let You Go”
12. Chris Heaven – “Soldier Of Fortune” |
The great thing about a Tribute CD to Ritchie Blackmore and Rainbow is the fact that not only are these influential tunes still fresh when listened to today, but you can see a progressive growth from the original years later in the bands that participate on the release. Each band makes sure to take you on an interesting journey with their interpretation of the music. There is certainly a wide variety of this going on across the length of the CD. However, like all tributes, there is good and there is bad. This piece in particular offers far more on the good side than that of the bad. I also like the fact that one gets an interesting interpretation of the music. There is quite a wide variety of this on the CD; some are good while some are outstanding. The other aspect of this piece is that it really gives you a great sampling of The Lion Music’s artist roster. These are bands that have numerous releases in the Progressive Rock and Metal style and here in the USA you might not get the level of exposure to them that you might desire.
Among the tracks on the CD, I found little that disappointed me. The highlights were “Stormbringer”, “Starstruck” and “Burn” right off the bat. Impressive to hear the heavier bands updating these classics, and not lose any of the respect for the original integrity of the tune. There was one track that ruined this from being a perfect score and that was “All Night Long”. It has been one of my favorite Rainbow tracks for many years and I just did not like the feel that Munkes and Kloos took with it.
It’s worth a look for any Rainbow fan and for those who choose to be accepting of more than the standard deliveries from the US Labels regarding tribute music.
Rating: 7/10
-- Ken Pierce 04.30.05
