WISHBONE ASH: Blue Horizon (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Only three years after "Elegant Stealth", Wishbone Ash is back and in great shape with "Blue Horizon". The band, eager to prove that he has still something to say, comes out on top with a rich and varied album, perhaps less dazzling than its predecessors but showing a cunning, intelligence and finesse that few bands possess apart from those who have spent their life on the road. So yes, the band still gives strength when necessary (this instrumental 'Prog' passage on 'Being One') but it is precisely this ability to lift their feet and give relief that brings all its class to tracks like the intro 'Take It Back', the instrumental part of the delicate 'Way Down South', the rocker 'Mary Jane' and many others.

The alchemy between the musicians seems to be at its peak and everyone here has put their hand to the wheel to extract the DNA of "Elegant Stealth" and to associate the spirit and heritage of the 70's Wishbone Ash with it. The result is an album that's a perfect blend of the melodic vocals of Andy Powell and the distinctive guitar harmonies that have inspired so many metal bands. The album seems to revolve musically around the same concept, as the tracks are easily linked. Elegant, classy, "Blue Horizon" can be listened to without the slightest bit of weariness and reveals just how impregnable these guys are on the whole line. The album ends with the essential folk song 'All There Is To Say', shared with Pat McManus (also present on the opener and adding a significant added value to the album) and whose intro to the acoustic guitar duet should make Steve Harris happy.

With an artwork as strong as its content, Wishbone Ash releases this year the album that redecorates the letters of a leading name of the 70's, just like "Now What?" will have re-inscribed Deep Purple among the "truly great". It's a must-have! - Official website

WISHBONE ASH

BLUE HORIZON

AUTRE LABEL

ROCK