SURRENDER OF SILENCE

I've got a few reservations about this album, such as: just what does Mr Hackett think he's doing, using a fake Russian choir AND orchestra on a supposedly serious song like 'Natalia'? Doesn't he realise it sounds awfully kitsch? How can he dedicate an entire tune to what he calls 'Africa, Earth's wildest garden', while adding that 'the quickening heartbeat of Africa ignites your soul'? Doesn't he realise (to quote Dipo Faloyin) that 'Africa is not a country'? Why does he sing lead on most of his tunes when some of his collaborators (notably Nad Sylvan and Amanda Lehmann, both of whom appear in secondary roles) would have done a far better job? And why all the fawning over his current wife Jo, to whom he devotes one particularly cringe-inducing ballad, and whom he praises effusively in his liner notes?

But when I sit back and just let SURRENDER OF SILENCE wash over me, I must admit most of the album is full of pleasant surprises and expertly arranged. There's a lot of heavy riffing, some fine tunes you can whistle along to, and best of all: almost every track features inspired guitar solos that must be counted among the most urgent our Steve has recorded this century. I admit I never bothered with WOLF LIGHT or THE NIGHT SIREN (the reviews were too discouraging) but SURRENDER definitely sounds far more convincing than 2019's AT THE EDGE OF LIGHT. It may not break new ground but it clearly shows there's life in the old boy yet, and if you like the sound of his electric guitar I'd even say it's must.