LIVING IN FEAR

Replacing Allan Holdsworth was a major problem to Tempest. Ollie Halsall was a great guitar player, but Holdsworth is brilliant. So Tempest lost a bit of technique, feeling and creative power when Holdsworth left the band, which makes this album inferior to the first. However, on vocals, Halsall is a better choice than Paul Williams, which also left the band after the first release. Although reduced to a power trio, Tempest was still a fine band and this album, although less adventurous, still has enough good moments to recommend it, like "Funeral Empire", "Dance to my Tune" (the most ambitious track), the simple and funny "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and "Stargazer" (later rerecorded by Ken Hensley at his solo album, "Eager to Please" - Mark Clarke played bass). To prog-rock fans, the first album will sound better, but this is also a worthy addition to hard rock fans's collections.