Ian Ashley Hersey - The Holy Grail
Copulating blues with metal, guitarist Ian Ashley Hersey shows prowess for being more than just a Hendrix or even an SRV clone. He melds with that low mood vibe with his axe with melodic metal production tendencies on The Holy Grail, going into the same territories that Pat Travers, Ritchie Blackmore and Robin Trower explored, and literally created for blues based metal.
He lives by the motto “Nothing beats a vintage Strat powered by an old Marshall,” which is not bad considering he really brings out the most of his Fender axe without out the often “twangy” sound it provides (OK, I have that Les Paul bias), providing a more plectonic, but yet thick sound.
There are four lead vocalists fronting Hershey’s axework. First off you have the tracks represented by the soulful singing David ‘Swan’ Montgomery, who adds a high melodic stake with his vocal heroines of “Blood of Kings” as well as bringing a hierarchy of R&B flavor to “In the Light;” whereas both tracks could have been long lost cuts from Robin Trower’s Bridge of Sighs record. But as vocalist change, you have a different vibe presented here, where each singer brings their own presence to the record. Randy Williams brings an AOR style to “Blink of an Eye” while Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schultz brings forth a classic rock ala-Bad Company/Zeppelin atmosphere to the forefront with “Empty Planet.”
Obviously the big attraction as far as vocalists go is the appearance of Graham Bonnet who sings on three of The Holy Grail’s cuts, putting the Deep Purple/Rainbow mark all over both “Walking the Talk” and the title track, really bringing the best out of the Blackmore influence that is in Hersey’s playing. There is even a classical cut, “Toccata in D Minor” which proves that this guitarist is highly versatile when it comes to shredding the freeboard.
In the end, when you mix the vocalists, the soul, the Hammonds, the songs, the vibe, and of course Hersey’s phrasing & overall technique, you have The Holy Grail, which is one of the strongest blues-metal records to have hit the racks in a long time, surpassing many of those who have tried to meld the metal with the blues.
Rating: 7.5/10
Hashman - 1/17/2006 www.ytsejam.com
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Ian Ashley Hersey - The Holy Grail
Copulating blues with metal, guitarist Ian Ashley Hersey shows prowess for being more than just a Hendrix or even an SRV clone. He melds with that low mood vibe with his axe with melodic metal production tendencies on The Holy Grail, going into the same territories that Pat Travers, Ritchie Blackmore and Robin Trower explored, and literally created for blues based metal.
He lives by the motto “Nothing beats a vintage Strat powered by an old Marshall,” which is not bad considering he really brings out the most of his Fender axe without out the often “twangy” sound it provides (OK, I have that Les Paul bias), providing a more plectonic, but yet thick sound.
There are four lead vocalists fronting Hershey’s axework. First off you have the tracks represented by the soulful singing David ‘Swan’ Montgomery, who adds a high melodic stake with his vocal heroines of “Blood of Kings” as well as bringing a hierarchy of R&B flavor to “In the Light;” whereas both tracks could have been long lost cuts from Robin Trower’s Bridge of Sighs record. But as vocalist change, you have a different vibe presented here, where each singer brings their own presence to the record. Randy Williams brings an AOR style to “Blink of an Eye” while Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schultz brings forth a classic rock ala-Bad Company/Zeppelin atmosphere to the forefront with “Empty Planet.”
Obviously the big attraction as far as vocalists go is the appearance of Graham Bonnet who sings on three of The Holy Grail’s cuts, putting the Deep Purple/Rainbow mark all over both “Walking the Talk” and the title track, really bringing the best out of the Blackmore influence that is in Hersey’s playing. There is even a classical cut, “Toccata in D Minor” which proves that this guitarist is highly versatile when it comes to shredding the freeboard.
In the end, when you mix the vocalists, the soul, the Hammonds, the songs, the vibe, and of course Hersey’s phrasing & overall technique, you have The Holy Grail, which is one of the strongest blues-metal records to have hit the racks in a long time, surpassing many of those who have tried to meld the metal with the blues.
Rating: 7.5/10
Hashman - 1/17/2006 www.revelationz.net
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| Iain Ashley Hersey - The Holy Grail (Lion Music) By: Joe Florez www.live4metal.com |
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This is the second offering from this New England multi talented artist. Just looking at his name and seeing his picture for the first time, you would think that he came from the U.K. Anyhow, this looks to be like a huge project as there are numerous folks performing on here. Most of them are unknowns, but you get some killer vocalists from the top in the industry. Iain may play the keys, bass and guitar all fluently, but he has hired some really talented artists to not only sing, but perform as well. David Montgomery is first up on “Blood Of Kings” and I’ll be damned if I didn’t see his name next to the song, I would have thought it was a new track from Glenn Hughes. Jesus Christ! I didn’t think it would be |
possible to replicate “The Voice Of Rock”, but he did it and damn well too. This is a fine mixture of hard rock and blues that moves along smoothly and the groove is just right. Just listen to this song and it will give you goose bumps. I mean Dave even nails his singing patterns down to a tee. This is scary. Dave gets another shot on the CD and this time around “In The Light” has more of a classic 70’s sound. The lungs on here don’t mimic Glenn. You can tell that he has his own style. Randy Williams is an unknown as far as I’m concerned, but he brings something to the table by offering his services on “Blink Of An Eye.” He has a very unusual vocal style. It’s a wee bit high, but when it’s set to the melodic composition set by LAH, it’s all good. Great solo work is shown on here as well. If you had Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi singing the blues with a touch of rock, then the result would be Carsten Schultz. Once again, this individual has some good pipes and if you can’t get enough of him, then get a load of “Lost And Foolish.” He replicates Joe Lynn Turner. Finally, one of the original singers from the 70s gets his shot at the mic. Graham Bonnet shows everyone just how its done. I have to say that a project of this magnitude brings to mind Heaven And Earth where only the best showcase their stuff. The same goes here and if you are a renaissance man, then this is for you. It may be a tad bit retro, but there is enough on here to keep it fresh and modern.
www.lionmusic.com | www.iainashleyhersey.com |
IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY - THE HOLY GRAIL (B) Lion Music,
2005
12 tracks, RT: 69:15
[ http://www.iainashleyhersey.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/hersey_holygrail.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Fans of classic rock from the '70s will have no< trouble identifying the influences of Iain Ashley Hersey, as his latest offering THE HOLY GRAIL borrows heavily from artists such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake and Robin Trower. Opener "Blood Of Kings" gets into a nice groove immediately, bringing Trower's BRIDGE OF SIGHS-era work to mind; at over seven minutes in length it's about two minutes longer than it needs to be but effectively sets the tone for the rest of the album. Next up is "In The Light" and honestly this is one of the weaker tracks on the album, as it's kinda standard with a repetitive chorus. Things improve greatly with the moody "To The Sea," with the keyboards and vocals especially strong. "Empty Planet," "Lost And Foolish" and "Calling For The Moon" all have that great Hammond organ vibe going on which really lends authenticity, but nothing brings credibility to the project quite as much as having Graham Bonnet singing on several songs, most notably the title track. OK, this won't win any awards for originality but for fans of bluesy hard rock this is quite an enjoyable listen, with the added benefit being that Iain avoids the usual shred guitar cliches in favor of more restrained, song appropriate solos. Check it out when you're in the mood to travel back in time, or to tie you over until the next Deep Purple release... - Neal Woodall (MysticX10@msn.com)
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/
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