Review
It’s so easy to like a Spiders & Snakes‘ album and Year of the Snake is no different as the band goes from New York Dolls-style rock (“Too Angry”) to April Wine-ish hard rock (“Kawasaki City”). “Over and Over and “The Digital Church” are sweetly ’70s (in a really good way). Then it gets really L.A. ’80s with a song like “Driving Me Crazy” (think early Ratt).
There are a few sub-standards for S&S on Year of the Snake: “Hey You” sounds like a mediocre Stryper singalong and “Hello’ and “Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” are just plain skippable (both bad Poison).
But for the most part Spiders & Snakes delivers. Every member is multi-talented. They can all sing well (switching off throughout). Tim Yasui pounds the drums, Chris Sheridan and Phil St. Vincent are consistently solid, then there’s the legendary LA rocker Lizzie Grey rounding everything out. And, also, great contribution from guest musicians, for instance, saxman Angelo Moore (Fishbone).
Powerline hard rock readers will never go wrong with a Spider & Snakes’ album it seems.
Label: Sansei Records
