New ‘Snake

I’ve been asked a few times whether I’ve heard the new Whitesnake CD, with Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on the strings. Yes, it’s in my car. Or was. I have it here in my office (along with a Tascam CD-GT1, a mostly-Warmoth Strat and, for no good reason, two flangers). Anyhow, here’s my review of the disc: It’s good.

It’s not classic album territory (like Slide It In or Whitesnake), but it’s good. Sorry about that “it’s not classic” part, but once a band gets that success everyone always wants to know.

But the disc is classic Whitesnake — which is good because the world needs this kind of music (we love you, man!). Re: classic ‘Snake, I’m talking things you’ve heard before — song structure (bits here and there), lyrics (bad to the bone), even Aldrich’s playing: At times he employs a distinctly Sykesian wide/slow vibrato.

One example: Call me nuts, but the intro lead for All I Want All I Need sounds like Sykes, style-wise, and so does the mid-song (around 3:28) lead break. And do the verse guitars in All for Love sound like Thin Lizzy or is it just me?

Regardless, the songs are good and could have come out 20 years ago. Standout tracks are Lay Down Your Love and ‘Til the End of Time. (Bonus points for the correct use of an apostrophe in the song title, a skill it appears has been forgotten in America…he steps down from soapbox….)

Lead-wise, fellow recovering shredaholics might be disappointed. Even though both Doug and Reb are fret-eating monsters, major pyrotechnics are lacking on this CD. Though yes, they play fast at times.

My favorite lead is ultra-slow — and ultra-tasty. It’s in the last tune, ‘Til the End of Time. Not sure if Reb can play that slow (ha ha) so I’m assuming it’s Doug — the liner notes don’t break out who does what. Either way, just stellar.

Buy or don’t buy: Buy it. Also get the previous CD, Live in the Shadow of the Blues, if nothing else for the studio cut Dog. Great stuff.

Woodytone report: I hate saying this about such a good CD, but I was taken by surprise by the guitar sounds here: distinctly unwoody to my ears. Of course it’s subjective and you might disagree, but to me the guitars sound a little too distorted, a little too processed and a little too bassy/muddy (the worst part).

I was perplexed to hear this — and have listed to the CD on three different stereos to make sure — because Doug and Reb don’t need it. They’re monsters. Just go on YouTube for some off-the-cuff, raw-tone jamming from those guys.

On the plus side, the guitars don’t sound like they’re laden with chorus and at times are dry (no reverb). Why we don’t have that plus a grab-you-by-the-throat guitar tone is a question I’m curious about.

Then again, the last guitar tone I really, really liked on a Whitesnake album was Slide It In (1984).

A big thanks to the Whitesnake guys for giving us rock guys honest music we can sink our teeth into.

Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach, Whitesnake, CD Reviews

Category: Doug Aldrich, mp3/CD/DVD, Reb Beach, Reviews, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake