HOUSES OF THE HOLY

Another excellent album from the hard rock legends! There is not much to say, as there is not any real progression here. This is a follow up to the diverse and brilliant Led Zeppelin IV and this song also proves to be brilliant and diverse, though some of the experiments don't quite work.

Starting with the powerhouse rocker The song Remains the Same you already know you're in for a wonderful musical ride. The real highlights of the album are obvious, especially for a progger's musical tastes. The Rain Song , played in an unusual guitar tuning, is a slow-paced symphonic song that in my opinion is better than the famous Stairway to Heaven. You have mellotron in this piece instead of a symphony, and I prefer the mellotrons. The song gets heavier in the later parts of it, without sacrificing the melodic beauty of the first half. No Quarter is another slow-paced song, but this one sounds dark and creepy. It has organs, piano, and synthesizers playing softly in the background during the verses until an awe-inducing guitar riff breaks the silences on the choruses. The instrumental break in the middle puts John Paul Jones in the spotlight, playing a long solo that focuses on melody and emotion, rather than virtuosity. Jimmy manages to play a guitar solo during it that sounds like if Steve Howe (Yes) played it.

Other good songs are Over the Hills and Faraway which begins with fast acoustic guitar riffs then turns into a nice rocker and The Ocean which is an accessible and radio-friendly rocker. The Crunge is an entertaining funky tune with a great bass line and a funny ending. Dancing Days while it contains an awful guitar riff in the beginning, manages to be a pretty good rock like always.

Unfortunately, D'yer M'ker is to me nothing but an irritating attempt to make a hybrid of Led Zeppelin with Reggae.

Highly recommended, as all of their pre-Presence albums are, except maybe Led Zeppelin II

Share this LED ZEPPELIN review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Zitro
• Report this review (#103007)
• Buy LED ZEPPELIN music online with PA partners
• Show all LED ZEPPELIN MP3/Stream
• Go to LED ZEPPELIN page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Houses Of The Holy page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for LED ZEPPELIN related discussions