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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