By Jason Wellwood
When you combine two members of Blue Oyster Cult with the original bass player from the original Alice Cooper band, you’re automatically going to make classic rock fans begin drooling. By all accounts the live shows have been incredible, so the debut album from this band has a lot to live up to between the past accomplishments of the members and the current live legacy. Kicking things off with ‘You (Like Vampires)’ is a pretty good way to go. The song is fun, not too hard but it does rock and it was actually nominated for a Grammy in 2010. Not bad at all! ‘God I Need You Tonight’ plays like a classic Alice Cooper ballad crossed with the Beatles, in fact it sounds so much like something that would fit on Last Temptation, that I actually went and double checked the track list on that album. ‘Dolphin’s Smile’ was a bit of a misstep in my opinion though. It has a mellow psychedelic sound and some pretty 60’s hippy-ish lyrics. It was a ‘skipper’ for me on replays of the album for sure. ‘Tornado Warning’ actually sounds like a beefed up Van Halen out take and is pretty solid all around. It’s possibly the heaviest and most memorable track on the album.
I’d love to say that Tornado on the Tracks blew me away, but it didn’t. It’s definitely catchy and a good listen, but it’s a lot more mellow and not quite as memorable as I had hoped. I think it’s a good first step for the band, hopefully this will result in further albums from the band as the talent is definitely there, it just didn’t come out in these songs. Admittedly, Dennis has always been my favourite member of the Alice Cooper band, so it does hurt a little not to be able to give him a 10. However, if our fearless editor is to be believed, the band is a powerhouse live, and I think maybe it just didn’t translate here which does bode well for the future.
(Self Released)
