Sir Lord Baltimore -'III Raw'

[HARD ROCK UNIVERSE]

Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw
JG Records

Review by Nightwatcher for Rock N Roll Universe

Long ago, in a land far, far away, a land shrouded in dry ice and dope smoke, giants walked the concert stages of planet earth. Some still are known today, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Grand Funk Railroad, while others have been largely forgotten via the mists of time.

One such behometh was known as Sir Lord Baltimore. Formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968, this pioneering metal band during the early 70's put out two of the most molten slabs of heavy rock in '70's 'Kingdom Come' and '71's self titled follow up. Featuring the incredible vocals of John Garner ( also sitting behind the kit, becoming one of rock's first singing drummers ), this is a man who could literally sing the phonebook and make it sound suitably heavy. Rounding things out was guitarist Louis Dambra( later joined by brother Joey on guitar for the 2nd album) and Jack Bruce influenced bassist Gary Justin, this was one of the best bands too many have never heard.

Discovered by manager Dee Anthony, who also helped launch the careers of Humble Pie, Free and Joe c*cker, produced by Hendrix's right hand man Eddie Kramer, featuring the involvement of future Bruce Springsteen manager Mike Appel, who co-wrote and helped arrange all of the songs on their first LP, this is a band who deserved to be HUGE. So, why weren't they? Garner has blamed drugs, relatively low record sales and being ripped off monetarily as the factors in their eventual breakup, but it may be also that they were just ahead of their time.

Listen to "Lady Of Fire," from 'Kingdom Come' and you can hear where Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore snagged the riff to "Woman From Tokyo". The band was reportedly a huge influence on the fledgling KISS, namely Stanley and Simmons, who would regularly show up at their shows on Long Island. Add to the legend the fact that in a now legendary review of the first album in Creem Magazine, the first reference to "heavy metal" was used, all adding up to a story of a trio who while never getting their due in a commercial sense, one whose influence has spread throughout the years to mythic proportions.

Remarkably, some 30 years after the band's break-up, Garner and Louis Dambra have reunited to record and self-distribute a new album, 'Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw,' a slab of classic sludge metal true to the original sound. Over three decades may have passed, but the music contained on this release, the majority written back then, albeit a bit raw (hence the name) is classic proto metal. Produced by Garner, the six tracks on display here show conclusively that even after three decades, the man hasn't lost a step vocally. While contemporaries such as Gillan, Plant and Daltrey are showing their age, the vocals here are nothing short of revelatory. While recently recorded, they're vital enough to have been laid down thirty years ago. Joined on this trek by ex Firm bassist Tony Franklin, who contributed most of the bass parts, with guitarist Anthony Guido and bass player Sam Powell as guest musicians, this is a true trip to rock's heavy past.

The six songs included here, beginning with "(Gonna) Fill The World With Fire," a straight forward heavy rocker, show that although the production may be cleaner this time around due to modern technology, the fire still burns brightly. One aspect which must be addressed is the lyrical bent of the songs. While the music was predominately written for the then uncompleted album in the mid 70's, the words have been rewritten to reflect Garner and Dambra's Christian faith. Now that may be something which may turn off some, but by not giving this a chance you'll be missing out on some first class music. In all actuality not too far from the lyrics from such classics as "Kingdom Come" or "Man From Manhattan", while dealing with spiritual concerns, it's never preachy. Thus there should be no reason no matter what faith one has not to be able to enjoy what's on display. "Love Slave" is a rocker with a heavy groove, replete with cowbell which moves to a percolating beat before giving way to the album's "epic", the seven minute "Wild White Horses". Acoustically driven, featuring a very Jack Bruce-like vocal from Garner, as it opens up to full blown heaviness, musically it too becomes reminiscent of Cream at their more eclectic, Dambra soloing with abandon, and is a highlight. Things return to a more traditional sound on "Rising Son," with Garner's drums leading the way, this is a track which wouldn't sound out of place on their debut. A heavy galloping riff heralds "Cosmic Voice", a grinding rocker showcasing fine harmony vocals during the chorus, leading to frenzied, ripping guitar work courtesy of Dambra that finishes the song in fine fashion. "Mission" ends the album in a classy way with more fuzzed out riffs and soulful vocals from Garner that will leave the listener satisfied. Slightly short at a little over 28 minutes, in this day and age when albums are padded with filler, you still get your money's worth with this one.

Limited to just 1,000 copies, if you're a true aficionado of 70's hard rock, or quality heavy music, this is one that you can't afford to miss. Welcome back gentlemen, let's hope that this is just the start of a well deserved renaissance for one of the true legends of the 70's. www.sirlordbaltimore.com/