SITUATION DANGEROUS

Driven by the enthusiasm for a great first recording, Bozzio, Levin and Stevens rejoined forces for a second venture, an occasion that allowed them to dispose with more time for rehearsing, writing and arranging what would be the new material. Sure, as a result, there is a slight loss of freshness, but the band manages to maintain their sense of spontaneous creativity along with the acquisition of a more solid approach to the composing process. The major sense of order and accomplishment in the articulation of melodies, riffs and mood shifts does not make this trio less powerful or less incendiary; creativity is still the same qualitatively and increased quantitatively. The inflammatory opener 'Dangerous' provides a very Zeppelin-esque motif, with a pertinent Crimsonian twist in the interlude and the ending up to the fade-out. What a tremendously neurotic entry, indeed! 'Endless' goes to far more ethereal places: the way in which the electric cello and the lead guitar are intertwined during the first minutes is quite evoking - later on, the jazz-rock thing turns to a more intense level, with an excellent Bozzio displaying his exquisite skill in order to sustain the overall sound, not overplaying nor falling into the repetitive vibe. This is arguably one of the most notable BLS compositions ever. 'Crash', as the title may suggest, is very visceral, a fiery storm full of metal- oriented thunder and lightning. 'Spiral' brings that Flamenco stuff that Stevens loves so much: a very relaxing piece, in which the dreamy airs of introspection are properly matched by the serene beauty of the main motif. 'Melt' is also quite relaxing, but this time in a jazz-fusion timber; as it happens in the softer parts of 'Endless', the cadence is the thing: BLS master the art of subtlety as proficiently as the art of showing off in the more aggressive pieces of their repertoire. The mood gets slower bur denser for the first part of 'Tragic'; then, a second section pushes the track to a more intense level, with Arabic motifs solidly sustained by the rhythm section in a neckbreaking amalgam, until the initial slow part is reprised for the closure. This tracks comprises some of the best Stevens' guitar solos I've ever known so far. 'Tziganne' spices things up, bringing a sense of easy-going joy: built on a Flamenco rumba, and very much inspired by worldwide-acknowledge Flamenco-fusion pioneer Paco de Lucía, 'Tziganne' includes a robust dialogue between Stevens and guest Marcus Nanol, as well as an amazing timbale solo by Bozzio. A fiesta always comes in pretty handy after a time of overwhelming intensity. Finally, 'Lost' brings fusion stuff marinated with funky condiments - something similar to the ethnic stuff of Gordian Knot or in Levin's own solo albums. Depending of the first thing that comes to my mind, I answer "Black Light Syndrome" or "Situation Dangerous" to the question "What's your favourite BLS album?", but I normally tend to prefer the latter, since it captures much of the debut's fire and adds a bigger deal of musical intelligence. 4.5 stars!