Hard 20 |
Spiders and Snakes"Hollywood Ghosts" Spiders And Snakes are the brainchild of ex-London leadman Lizzie Grey (anyone who has seen "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part 2-The Metal Years" will know about the band London, the infamous Hollywood glam metal band who never quite made it). Lizzie has been slugging it out on the Hollywood rock scene for over two decades now and is still at it. He's had the Spiders project going for over ten years, (I actually heard them on KNAC when I was in California in the early 90s), and they are now a two man band, Lizzie and his partner in crime, Timothy Jay. Being that Lizzie is an 80s Sunset Strip veteran, one would expect S&S to have a "hair metal" type sound, but that does not seem to be the case, at least for this album. The music here is more 70s influenced, taking a cue from the Stones, Rod Stewart and the Faces, Old David Bowie, Humble Pie, even the Black Crows. The sound is raunchy and gritty, there are a good number of ballads, and there is more acoustic than electric guitar used. Only the opener, "American Baby", hints at anything 80s, this being a driving rock tune in the vein of L.A. Guns. The song "Spiders And Snakes" is a honky tonk blues tune, complete with harmonica, and sounds more Louisiana Bayou than Hollywood Boulevard. Things are really kept raw and to the bone on this album. It's different from what I expected but interesting. The guys certainly play well, proving that there is some talent behind the tinsel in L.A. I'd just like it better if there was a little more rock and roll here, more songs like "American Baby", and if they'd plug in a little more often. Spiders And Snakes didn't have the bite I thought they would but they're still decent musicians nonetheless. |