By Monk
The term “legacy band” is oft bandied about, especially in classic rock circles, to either denigrate or describe a band living on past glories, continually churning out “greatest hits” sets without bringing anything new to the table. This French project adds a distinct new twist to the term as it has been created exclusively and specifically to celebrate one particular legacy – that left by guitarist Patrick Pairon in his all-too-brief career prior to his untimely death five years ago.
Livin’ Evil trace their roots back to 1992, when Pairon and his brother Eric originally put the band together, producing two demos in the early- to mid-Nineties before splitting in the latter part of the decade, with nothing more to be heard from them. Fast forward two decades and former bassist Jérôme Viel decided to unearth that pair of demos, dust them down and see what he could do by way of creating a more permanent tribute to his old friend. So, he assembled an international cast of session musicians and collaborators to reimagine and rework the guitarist’s unheralded back catalogue and bring his memory back to life in some form of metallic style.
It has to be said that Livin’ Evil inhabits that NWoBHM/NWoEM-meets-power metal territory shared by many hundreds of other acts and many thousands of albums which struggle to stand out from the cluttered crowd which inhabits this particular mien. And, in it’s own right, disregarding the background to the project, ‘P.A.T’ (yes, I see what they did there) does nothing to really make the project do so. ‘Behind The Light’, for example, very much expounds that early- to mid-period Dickinsonian Maiden vibe, with its massive rumbling rhythm and bouncy guitar harmonies, topped off by the albeit crisply executed vocals of Tasos Lazaris, who I must admit evokes Geoff Tate more than he does Bruce or Michael Kiske.
Having said that, the shadow of Eurometal giants such as Helloween does hang large over the material offered here, a fact accentuated and exacerbated by the presence of Roland Grapow, who is one of a number of guest soloists, the most notable of the others being Timo Tolkki. It could be argued that these contributions really do nothing more than add a fresh coat of paint to a sonic tapestry that does sound very much of its time, as several of the songs do sound dated, even with modern production standards applied to their revival.
Now, I’m not saying ‘Prayers…’ is a bad album. Far from it. It is, in fact, an enjoyable and pleasant listen, with some very accomplished moments, such as the soaring ‘A Song For A Dead Man’, the surprisingly sharp ‘Feelings’, with its impactful double bass kick work from Fabio Alessandrini and the broiling ‘Step Into A Blaze Of Fire’, which defiantly would not sound of place on a mid-era Queensrÿche opus. Whether I will ever find myself revisiting its grooves, well that is debatable, but what it does offer is a very fitting tribute to an undoubtedly very talented musician and composer, whose material has been brought back to life with admiration, adoration and a not inconsiderable degree of affection. Worth exploring if you’re a Eurometal fan.
- ‘Prayers And Torments‘ is out now.
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