MOUNTAIN OF POWER – Volume Three (2015)

MOUNTAIN OF POWER is the heavy rocking, hard hitting brainchild of six string Swede Janne Stark – melodic rockers Grand Design, Constancia, Locomotive Breath, et all, as well as writer of The Encyclopedia Of Swedish Hard Rock And Heavy Metal – to pay homage to ’70s guitar-driven classic / hard rock. MOUNTAIN OF POWER’s focuses on cover of songs from Seventies bands – some famous, some not – peppered with heavy riffing and lots of guitar solos.
As requested, here’s “Volume Three“, featuring selections from TRIUMPH, CAPTAIN BEYOND, APRIL WINE, RUSH, MOTHER’S FINEST, KANSAS, and more.
Among the superb guitar players we find HANK SHERMANN (MERCYFUL FATE), KEE MARCELLO (ex EUROPE), MICHAEL DENNER (MERCYFUL FATE), KEN HAMMER (PRETTY MAIDS), JONAS HANSSON (SILVER MOUNTAIN), BRETT ELLIS, etc.
The lead vocals are performed by the terrific CARL DIXON (CONEY HATCH), PELLE SAETHER (GRAND DESIGN), THOMAS VIKSTROM (TALK OF THE TOWN, BRAZEN ABBOTT), MARC QUEE, CHRIS CATENA and more.

The Neil Merryweather amalgam, “Give It Everything We Got / Kryptonite” introduces proceedings perfectly, Stark and Martin J Andersen sparking wildly as they trade solos with real intensity. That Andersen backs that up with a Conny Bloom like vocal capable of matching the six string histrionics simply seals the deal.
Merryweather himself then turns up to deliver vocals on the melodic blues merry-go-round of “Hey Serena / Wheel Of Fortune”, as the formula of choosing a pair of a band’s best tunes and expertly fusing them together continues with the Walter Rossi / Charlee cuts being expertly handled.

From there highlights come thick and groovetacularly fast, Roger Solander and Peter Harmansson adding the vocal muscle to the guitar hit from Stark and Brett Ellis on “It’s A Jungle Out There (Power)” (by Diamond Reo), while Thomas Vikstrom handles the Stark / Ken Hammer infused “Be My Lover / Little Texas Shaker”, with skill and ease in abundance.
Songs from two underrated bands shine next, “Raging River Of Fear (Can’t Feel Nothing – Frozen Over)” from the criminally unknown Captain Beyond celebrated by Stark and Andersen once more, while “Silver Dollar” by April Wine is brought to life with a real sense of rejoicing in the good times by the one and only Carl Dixon (Coney Hatch / April Wine) behind the mic.; Craig Erickson excelling with Stark on guitar.

And so it continues, a mix of singers, David Angstrom on “Badside” by Cain, Marc Quee and Amy Douglas (the latter having lost none of her power) on the Mother’s Finest belter “All The Way”, and the pairing of Chris Catena and Peter Hermansson moulding a mix of smooth and husky-dusty vocals into a potent force on Boomerang’s “Cynthia Fever/Juke It”. Six string expertise provided by Stark, Angstrom, Mike Onesko, Jay Jesse Johnson.

Unlike most near 80 minute albums, things just keep getting better and better as they head towards their conclusion, the Styx like “She Flew Freely / If Only We Tried” (originally by The Hunt) finding Carl Dixon returning to provide his best Tommy Shaw-esque vocals, while Stark take sole centre stage on guitar in quite blistering fashion.

Leaving a four part Rush medley come guitar jam and four part Kansas tribute come six-string weapon of destruction to close the album out magnificently, a whole host of previously mentioned vocal and guitar talent, plus Magnus Ekwall, Pelle Saether, the Mercyful Fate guitar pair, Michael Denner & Hank Shermann, Stefan Lindholm, Jonas Hansson, Jimmy Ryan, Kee Marcello, Micke Nilsson and Mikadl Nord Andersson, making mockery of the idea that all star albums lack for cohesive hard rocking authenticity.

If you like big, fat grooving guitar led anthems from the classic and underrated 70s vaults, ”Volume Three” by Mountain Of Power is the altar at which you should worship.
Put simply: fabulous.

01 – GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE GOT / KRYPTONITE (NEIL MERRYWEATHER)

02 – HEY SERENA / WHEEL OF FORTUNE TURNING (WALTER ROSSI/CHARLEE)

03 – IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE (POWER) (DIAMOND REO)

04 – BE MY LOVER / LITTLE TEXAS SHAKER (TRIUMPH)

05 – RAGING RIVER OF FEAR (CAN’T FEEL NOTHING-FROZEN OVER) (CAPTAIN BEYOND)

06 – SILVER DOLLAR (APRIL WINE)

07 – BADSIDE (CAIN)

08 – ALL THE WAY (MOTHER’S FINEST)

09 – CYNTHIA FEVER / JUKE IT (BOOMERANG)

10 – SHE FLEW FREELY / IF ONLY WE HAD TRIED (THE HUNT)

11 – UNDER THE SHADOW
(WORKING MAN-WHAT YOU’RE DOING-SOLILOQUY-YYZ) (RUSH)

12 – DEATH OF MOTHER NATURE SUITE / CHILD OF INNOCENCE
(CARRY ON WAYWARD SON-DOWN THE ROAD-CHEYENNE ANTHEM) (KANSAS)

Guitar, Bass, Lead Guitar – Janne Stark
Drums – Peter Hermansson, TrumPeter Svensson

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