TEMPEST

In my opinion, this is a good album, plenty of musicianship (Hiseman is one of the greatest drummers of all time, Holdsworth is a genius and Mark Clarke is a great bassist), strong compostions and precise arrangements, but Paul Williams's vocals almost ruins it. He is a powerful singer, but he sounds a bit forced and his voice is, to my tastes, annoying (Hugues Chantraine pointed a similarity to Chris Farlowe - I don't like him, too). Mark Clarke, as Bob McBeath pointed on his review, is a less distinguished singer, but his voice is more pleasing. If this album was totally instrumental, it would be a 4 piece. IMHO, Williams's vocals reduces its rating down to 3 stars. Highlights: "Gorgon" (Almost a mini- epic), "Grey & Black" (beautiful) and "Upon Tomorrow" (with its jazzy flavor).