Tempest(UK)
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review by thomas

Another so-called supergroup with Paul Williams (vocals, keyboards, guitars) ex Juicy Lucy among others, Allan Holdsworth (guitars, violin) ex Nucleus and pre Gong, Mark Clarke (bass, keyboards) ex Colosseum and Uriah Heep, and finally the former leader of Colosseum Jon Hiseman (drums, percussion). The music on “Tempest” is mostly blues based progressive rock or simply blues rock to which Paul’s voice seems perfect. But I don’t like the singer’s voice nor the music, which to me feels like the missing link between John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Nazareth, that very much. It’s not downright bad; there are a couple of good moments, like the opener “Gorgon” and “Brothers” which have a good funky groove going on. There are also some really embarrassing tunes like the commercial “Grey and Black” and the bluesy “Strangeher”. All put together this record is pretty poor, in my opinion, mostly due to my musical tastes, of which Tempest’s style are not held high, and not for everyone. Those of you into blues rock and more bluesy progressive rock will appreciate it. And if you like Juicy Lucy or Colosseum you will probably also like Tempest.