THE DOUBLE-CROSS

This is my first Tempest album and I should say I never heard about this band before. But I read one of Kenneth Levine´s reviews about them and. since we have similar tastes, I decided to give it a try. And I did not regret it! Real good band and real good CD! Tempest does sound a lot like a modern version of Steeleye Span (sans the female vocals) from the mid 70´s (around the time of Now We Are Six, to be more precise). But make no mistake, they are not copycats. In fact they sound a lot rockier and the production here is quite superior.

Like Steeleye Span the repertoire has a lot of traditional songs, plus some original stuff. Lead singer Lief Sorbye has a fine voice, perfect for the style, like a young Ian Anderson (so, expect lots of personality!). The musicanship is top notch, of course and I particularly liked the electric guitar sound: powerful, crunching, but not overwhelming. The guy knows when to play and when no to play. The bass parts are also a highlight, great! There are some awesome traditional sounds too, like the violin (another fine feature here). this is a team efford of sorts and it´s one of the best I heard lately.

As it often happens with most of the good prog records, The Double Cross took a little time to be fully appreciated, even if the opening track (Captain Kidd) did make a strong impression since the very first moment I head it. There are no fillers and the instrumental tunes show all the prowness of this energetic band. Very convincing record. Even if they did not bring anything groundbreaking or new to the genre, this is the kind of CD every prog folk fan should own it. I´m looking forward to hear their other works, before and after this one. But The Double Cross is, already, highly recommended. .