Accomplice - Accomplice

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Adrenaline
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 43:11:00

When the band Accomplice released their self-titled and self-produced album in 1998 it was mainly available in the States but became next to impossible to find in Europe. That's why Italian label Adrenaline contacted these Southern Californians in order to re-release the album in a new package and boasting a new studio track in the form of "Crusader Soul."

Compared to other prog metal outfits, Accomplice has a lot of AOR elements woven into their music, apart from the obvious hard edged metal material and the prog atmosphere. The band itself sites their musical output as being reserved for people who like Dream Theater, Rush, Queensryche, Styx, Kansas, King's X, Journey and Night Ranger, but I'm convinced that anyone who's into well-produced rock will certainly enjoy the band's efforts. These guys have already opened for the likes of Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Rush, Van Halen and Judas Priest so they certainly don't need any further introduction!

"Reactor" is my kind of song starting on an acoustic level with an opera-like vocal input from Stephen Green. I like the acoustic guitar toying with the drum breaks and then giving way to the lush synths. Also note the superb intervention from bass player Scott Snyder here! The band certainly takes its time to craft songs in which the melody stands out from a mile away. Just listen to the great vocal lines which accompany the piano in "Fallin'," one of the classics to be found in this genre, the kind of song which would go to number one in the charts were it a band the likes of Extreme or Live! "State Of The Nation" contains guitar pyrotechnics courtesy of Sean Clegg with Richard Arbuckle banging those drums as if his life depends on it!

The success of an album not only lies in the material but also in the way that material is scattered over the album. Here the power of "State Of The Nation" is called to a halt by means of the superbly crafted ballad "Welcome," with once again Stephen Green showing off his vocal skills in combination with some wonderful piano, acoustic guitar and an ace melodic guitar solo to top it all. This is the kind of music FM stations all over the States were made of some years ago, before they all turned towards hip hop and other crap! From what Accomplice proves us here: there's still hope at the end of the tunnel ! If I was you I'd buy this album solely on the strength of this song alone!

"Let The Show Begin" kind of reminds me of Van Halen's "Jump," which probably has something to do with the way the keyboards integrate in the background. Another highlight is to be found in "Nightingale" which has voice, piano and acoustic guitar deliver the kind of song which would fit nicely onto a Blackmore's Night album. The same can be said of the introduction for "Fight On" which once again holds a lot of medieval influences not in the least because of the use of clavinet. Then it's full steam ahead with wailing synths and roaring guitar all the way. The bonus track "Crusader Soul" undoubtedly will be a live favourite due to its inclusion of a southern rock feel combined with Wishbone Ash guitars. A splendid way to end a superb album and certainly a way to look out for the follow-up.

Sadly I'm not 100% sure about the sleeve design which in my opinion doesn't do the music any justice. The design is too bland when compared to the rich contents of the music. In my book this sleeve deserves a golden crown loaded with jewels. Musical royalty!

[Hmm?it is evocative of Detective Comics, though -ed.]

Tracklisting:
Courageous (6:05) / Reactor (6:14) / Fallin' (4:50) / For All The World (3:25) / State Of The Nation (3:30) / Welcome (4:40) / Let The Show Begin (3:33) / Centurion (4:30) / Nightingale (2:54) / Fight On (5:30) / Crusader Soul (4:11)

Musicians:
Stephen Green - lead vocals
Sean Clegg - guitars, vocals
Scott Snyder - bass, vocals
Richard Arbuckle - drums
Recently added :
Michael T. Ross - keyboards

Discography:
Accomplice (1998/2000)

Genre: Progressive/Power Metal

Origin US

Added: September 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.accomplice.com
Hits: 3210
Language: english