TEMPEST

Between Colosseum and Colosseum II Jon Hiseman formed the lesser known Tempest who released two albums in 1973 and 74. With the recent Esoteric remasters it would seem like a good time to review them.

Their eponymous debut is the better of the two and alongside Hiseman the band featured bassist Mark Clarke (also from Colosseum), Paul Williams on vocals and an early appearance from Alan Holdsworth on guitar. It's a good solid effort though it has to be said not on the same level as Colosseum at their best. Musically it's heavier than Colosseum - rock with a bluesy edge and some jazz touches. Williams is a decent singer, his low register not unlike Chris Farlowe, Hiseman's former bandmate. The band all play well as expected. Anyone hearing this for the first time may be surprised by Holdsworth's playing, which despite being an admirable performance, isn't yet showing his trademark sound being a much more rocky style.

Nothing really lets the album down and it showed good potential for a future, it's just not really got anything to lift it above the merely good. It is however a fairly consistent record and despite the lack of any real standout tracks is an enjoyable enough way to spend 40 minutes.