OSSSY – Serum 2.0 (2014)

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Established in Hannover, Germany, Oswald OSSSY Pfeiffer is a multi-instrumentalist and record producer who in the last 20 years has collaborated with artists such as Paul Young, UFO, Gunter Gabriel, Accept, TOTO, Fury In The Slaughterhouse, and uncredited for many others as session musician and composer.
Now, Osssy decided it was time for his own band and cut his own stuff, pulling together some very good musician friends collected during all these years.
So we have here Osssy’s debut “Serum 2.0“, in fact the second part / release of his self project, all recorded at the same time but split in two volumes due the huge amount of material. Judging the quality displayed in this ‘2.0’, I am eager to get the part 1 as soon as possible.

But let’s discuss this “Serum 2.0” now. This is indeed the ‘serum of influences’ declared by Osssy; classic rock bands from Europe / America, leaning towards Melodic Rock / AOR.
Indeed through these 12 tracks you can feel his passion for the genre covering all the eras including the Eighties, Nineteties and the more modern new millennium age.
Despite his German origin, few of the melodic rock style from this country is present on “Serum 2.0”, where the British, US and Scandinavian stylings dominate. Also, many of the tracks are strongly AOR impregnated.

Since the first, strong mid-tempo opener “There Was A Time” you will have two things clear about Osssy: he’s a seasoned musician / arranger, and a consummate songwriter. A wonderful AOR song that somehow reminds me UK’s Passion Street, with Osssy’s vocals (no accent at all) clearly infatuated by the late ’80s and with a slightly Coverdale-Slip of the Tongue tone during the verses.
You’ll get more of this kind on the supreme “Looking In The Sun” richer on keyboards, and a Scandi touch ala Norwegians Dalton in “Radio”.

However, and for good affect, Osssy is pretty diverse and not just one dimensional AOR.
“Burn Your House Down” drive things up a notch for a hot rocker with an spiralling bluesy riff, “Bad Company” mixes Tyketto with Badlands, and “Atom Monster King (Face Lotion)” shows the band’s groovy side.
“Too Much Woman” is pure American classic rock with acoustics / electrics and a ‘road’ feel, “Sweet Lady Of Mine” throw vintage organs into the mix and some progressive arrangements, and the velvety ballad even has some Beatlesque melodies in its DNA.

If carefully crafted melodic classic rock music is your thing, you won’t be disappointed by “Serum 2.0”.
All Osssy originals show his influences but all it’s done with a very personal touch and a warm, instantly enjoyable production sound handled by himself.
And the musicians involved are top notch, including the underrated yet talented English axe-man Steve Mann (Lionheart, The Sweet, MSG) spreading some truly great guitar solos, JJ Marsh (Glenn Hughes), Toto’s Simon Phillips behind the skins, and bass player Lars Lehmann (Uli Jon Roth) among many others.
Very Recommended.

01 – Ignore The Sign
02 – There Was A Time
03 – Looking In The Sun
04 – Burn Your House Down
05 – Mama
06 – Bad Company
07 – All These Years
08 – Atom Monster King (Face Lotion)
09 – Too Much Woman
10 – Who Helps Sweet Honey
11 – Sweet Lady Of Mine
12 – Radio

Osssy Pfeiffer: Lead vocals, various instruments
Anca Graterol (Rosy Vista, Catena): Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
Steve Mann (Lionheart, The Sweet, MSG): Guitars, Vocals
Kai Reuter (Nina Hagen): Guitar
JJ Marsh (Glenn Hughes): Guitar
Simon Phillips (The Who, Toto): Drums
Patrick Manzecchi (Scott Hamilton Band): Drums
Lars Lehmann (Uli Jon Roth): Bass, Vocals
Gero Drnek (Fury in the Slaughterhouse): Horns
Andrea Black, Gaby Neitzel, Pascal Luder: Background Vocals

BUY IT !
tinyurl.com/n4vb4ho
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