SPEECH

Steamhammer's last album was a posthumous release if memory serves me well asa the group had disintegrated by then. The general sound is a lot like the preceeding Mountains album , full of guitar riffs/works .

Do not be fooled by the lenght of these three tracks, nothing to do with lenghty prog epics. Actually this album has little to do with prog, IMHO! There is virtuosity present on this album as this is full of guitar histrionics.

Although this album is highly touted by collectors , IMHO, it is best to avoid it unless you are a confirmed fan of Steamhammer.

Steamhammer's fourth-and-final album proves to be both their most progressive but also their weakest. Virtually instrumental, 'Speech' eschews the group's earthy blues-prog style in favour of three lengthy, drawn-out, metallic tracks that features none of the funky gusto evident on their previous three albums. The lack of vocals is a genuine surprise, as Kieran White's gruff, yearning tones were an important part of the group's make-up, but it's the total lack of inspiration or catchy melodies that is really noticeable. 'Speech' was recorded and released after original drummer Mick Bradley had died, and for the rest of the group the spark had simply gone, which would explain the going-through-the-motions feel that drenches the album. Maybe they should have stuck to their original bluesy sound and not gone for the bold new prog-rock sound, maybe they should have called it a day after the excellent 'Mountains'. Whatever your view there is no doubting that 'Speech' is a poor end for a once-great band who deserved a better swansong than this. 'Speech' is, simply put, strictly for Steamhammer completionists only. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

Steamhammer released a total of four albums. The first being a sort of jazzy blues rock one. The next two, "MKII" and "Mountains" were steeped more in the jazz-rock mould, giving it all a much more progressive feel. And then they released "Speech". If you know anything about Steamhammer but haven't heard this one you are in for quite a surprise. My first Steamhammer album was "Mountains" and I was enthralled by it's warm, progressive jazz-rock thing. So, when I bought this one in my early 20's and put it on I was in for a completely different ride alltogether.

First let me tell you, I adore the cover art. It's simply amazing. Dark and brooding and with an imagery rather hard to fathom. But it fits the music perfectly and that is somewhat the whole point with album covers, don't you think?

So, on to the music. The intro to the first track, the 23 minutes long "Penumbra", is the most sinister, foreboding, scary I have ever heard. It puts the norwegian black metal bands to shame. And yet at the same time it is also one of the most intriguing and loveable intros I have ever heard. Listen to it with headphones in a dark room. There's a sunday treat, if there ever was one. When the intro grinds to a halt after 3 minutes and 20 seconds a harsh, cold and brutal guitar riff comes into being and you are served a nice slice of early hard rock that is heavy, fast and furious. It's like you hear a band falling apart in the studio, trying to kill each other with an immense barrage of energy. FIve minutes in to the piece comes a calmer section with vocals. I love this part. I l-o-v-e it! What am I listening to? Am I standing at the entrance of hell? Has doomsday arrived? Are these the final days? And then the riffing comes back. Different but with the same feeling of frustration and energetic charge. After that has passed you find you're self in a different landscape where a bluesy hard rock riff takes the center stage. Everything then heads for a climatic ending with instrumentation and a roar resembling a dying whale. Or something to that effect. I have always loved the first track. An epic? Well, I suppose so. An epic of darkness.

"Telegram", the second track, is a bluesy hard rock affair that rhythmically is askew and slightly off the wall without going totally bonkers. Also a fantastic piece, constructed in a similar fashion to "Penumbra", only half as long and not quite as intimidating. The last track "For against" gives us a somewhat organized noise with off the wall riffing and a drum solo. Not the finest piece on the album but a good one nevertheless. The drum solo tends to drag on for just a bit too long.

All in all I find that this album is, probably, the most progressive of the four Steamhammer made during a three year period. That is not to say it's their best one but it is certainly a very interesting album and extremely enjoyable. Somewhat underappreciated, scorned and misunderstood I think it deserves to be heard more and loved more. A great prog album bearing both compexity and furious energy. I only wish they had stayed together and made another one. God knows what that would have sounded like but I am positive that it would be a wonderful album, as all four albums by the band are.

STEAMHAMMER were a hard rocking Blues Rock band out of the UK releasing four studio albums with "Speech" being the final one from 1972. They were a five piece on their first two records, down to a four piece on that third album, and to a trio here of bass, guitar and drums. They brought in a guest singer as well as Keith and Jane Relf to add backing vocals and Keith helped produce this. Keith and Jane being from THE YARDBIRDS of course. Interesting that when STEAMHAMMER broke up the the guitarist and bass player joined Keith and formed ARMAGEDDON releasing their sole album in 1975.

There is nothing bluesy about this album at all. It really is a one-off in their discography of three long experimental tracks that has more to do with Krautrock than anything else. Maybe that's why the Brain label in Germany signed them here. Brain was a hotbed of some of the best Krautrock bands out there back at this time. The music is dark and not very melodic most of the time. Experimental all the way especially the guitar, but the bass player uses a bow on his bass and man does he get some ugly sounds out of that. Priceless stuff.

We get the side long opener "Penumbra" which is a great example of what this album is all about. The bowed bass, high pitched guitar theatrics, it's dark and experimental and vocals come and go, mostly go. Oh that bowed bass is distorted at times. Nasty. "Telegram(Nature's Mischief)" is the 12 minute opener on side two and after a brief spacey start that squeeling guitar takes over as the vocals sing in a determined but odd way. Man this is different. A gong signals a change and there's few of those as this plays out. The guitar lights it up late but mostly we get this annoying high pitched sound. Harmonies too from the Relf's after 5 1/2 minutes then a calm and some repetitive stuff.

The closer is the 11 minute "For Against" which for the most part is a drum solo starting around 3 minutes in. So there's that. This is one of those albums that their fans would have dismissed after what they had created before with the previous three records. For me this would have been the album to bring in a different fan base if they had kept going and in this style of music but this truly is a one-off for them, and being so experimental not a popular one either. My Krautrock membership won't allow me to go lower than 4 stars here despite not really having that enjoyment factor I demand out of a 4 star record if you know what I mean. This was a talented band and I can't just say they were out to lunch here, or were they?