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Fish - Raingods With Zippos CD (album) cover

RAINGODS WITH ZIPPOS

Fish

 

Neo-Prog

3.68 | 258 ratings

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ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer
3 stars The big man signs another good (solo?) album.

The opener "Thumbledown" is a combination of a sweet intro/closing section but the core of this song is well in-line with his previous effort "Sunset Of Empire". On the hard edge, heavy riff and strong vocals as Fish has used us already.

An eclectic song and already a highlight. The pace is set. "Mission Statement" is a truly rocking track and it is probably not the best of the whole. A strong contrast with "Incomplete" a ballad which allows Fish to use his subtle vocal range. Emotional and tender. Not a masterpiece but a peaceful break. But maybe that one like this was enough. I am not thrilled with '"Tilted Cross", the second ballad in a row which is pretty much forgettable.

Fish already covered a song of "The Sensational Alex Harvey Band" namely "Boston Tea Party". But with "Faith Healer" he is bringing the most famous song from this band (I discovered it on the great album "Next" released in 1973). The mighty voice of Fish perfectly fits this classic (hard) rock number. A good interpretation from this excellent song.

The third ballad available is "Rites of Passage" which is relatively sad and melancholic. The violin only adds to this atmosphere. The lyrics are not very optimistic either :" Living with you is like being parked on double yellow lines waiting to be towed away, I'll pay the fines and I'll be back, but I'm running out of reasons to stay". The closing section is made of beautiful ambient instrumental. A good, emotional song.

Now, the epic "Plague Of Ghosts". Actually it starts almost like "Rites" ends. A totally atmospheric intro for about three minutes abruptly contrasts with "Digging Deep". No smooth transition here. As if it is more another song than the second part of a "suite". Lots of keyboards conveys an undeniable prog flavour.

Apocalyptical mood for "Chocolate Frogs". The first half is a frightening recitation featuring dark and scary lyrics. A song beyond the grave. Brrrrr. Fish is indeed a great story-teller.

After another ambient transition part ("Waving At Stars") towards "Raingod's Dancing" which features a nice melody and a superb guitar solo (there are very little instrumental solo available on Fish's album to highlight this). This song is truly convincing. The big man and his exclusive emotional style is back again with brio. My fave part of this album.

And after another abrupt ending, the closing and delicate "Wake-Up Call" seems to wake us up as if the last twenty minutes or so were only a nightmare (not in terms of music, only in terms of content). A nice journey in Fish's world.

I would love to rate this album with seven out of ten but three stars is my rate.

ZowieZiggy | 3/5 |

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