SILVER HORSES (Tony Martin) – ST (2012)
Italian rockers SILVER HORSES were put together last year by guitar player Gianluca Galli (Time Machine) and drummer Matteo Bonini. After the band completed the line-up, they needed an anglo vocalist to sing their Classic Hard Rock songs. Through Dario Mollo they contacted Tony Martin, who immediately accepted, and the combo recorded their self-titled debut.
Tony Martin, who incidentally has Italian forefathers, has been busy lately doing many collablorations, releasing the third Mollo-Martin album, and now with Silver Horses. Best known for his time fronting British legends Black Sabbath during their most commercial period in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s, Martin’s bluesy tone was the perfect choice for this kind of material.
Silver Horses is Classic, traditional Hard Rock with a foot firmly planted in the seventies in the Led Zeppelin, Free, Bad Co. style.
Indeed “Silver Horses” distills a strong influence from the Page / Plant band on opener “Rub It On Me”, “Life And Soul” and the acoustically filled “Diamond Sky”, all in the Led Zepp IV vein.
“Secret Service” recalls the Coverdale/Page adventure, while in the marching “Run” Deep Purple outcrops.
The band shows a more contemporary approach in the Eastern flavored “Me”, the Badlands-like “You”, and the rocking “You’re Breaking My Heart” where the Whitesnake / Bernie Marsden era comes to mind.
Title track is moody midtempo bluesy acoustic number, and the band also delivers good ballads in the groovy “Suddenly Lost” and the pure acoustic closer “Who’s Holding On To You”, a really classy track with a nice melody.
“Silver Horses” offers a very, very classic set of songs well composed and performed.
The sound and style are typically British, served with a precise and polished musicianship finely produced, warm and organic. Tony Martin feels like a fish in the water with this material, in top form as usual enhancing the tunes with his phenomenal throat.
A good dish of Classic Hard Rock is always welcomed, and “Silver Horses” is very, very purist in its delivery.
01 – Rub It On Me
02 – Run
03 – Life And Soul
04 – Diamond Sky
05 – Secret Service
06 – Suddenly Lost
07 – Me
08 – Silver Horses
09 – You’re Breaking My Heart
10 – You
11 – Who’s Holding On To You
Tony Martin – Vocals
Gianluca Galli – Guitars
Andrea Castelli – Bass
Matteo Bonini – Drums
Nicola Costanti – guest Piano on track 6
BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Silver-Horses/dp/B009ER0TCY
