CD review THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS ‘Silver Flames’

The Flaming Sideburns is the brainchild of Eduardo Martinez, who moved at the end of the ’80s to Finland, the home of his mother. Martinez found quickly his way into the Finnish rock scene and it was in 1995, when the official foundation of The Flaming Sideburns happened. The debut ‘It’s Time to Testify … Brothers and Sisters’ hit the shelves in 1999 and three additional longplayers followed. After having published ‘Keys to the Highway’, radio silence took over and it became quite about the band.

Photo Credit: Aki Roukala

It took a while for the band to return and here they are are. Not only that The Flaming Sideburns are back, it’s also the original line-up that worked together on the fifth longplayer, entitled ‘Silver Flames’.

The title track opens the new album and is a statement for old school rock’n’roll. Even though a certain retro charm is immediately noticeable, ‘Silver Flames’, song as well as album, is definitely not a dusty affair from the past. A refreshing breeze of rock’n’roll blows any old-fashioned boredom overboard in a second. Besides the opener, the album also has other highlights. For example ‘Searching Like a Hyena’ is an additional rocker while the galloping ‘Perfect Storm’ shows some hit-single potential. This melody has the power to appeal to a wider audience.

‘Reverberation (Doubt)’, on the other hand, has a clearly psychedelic feel to it while the closer ‘Trance-Noché’ is a truly unusual ending, and not just because of the Spanish lyrics.

‘Silver Flames’ is a well-made rock album that doesn’t care about trends. It is simply well crafted music that comes from the bottom of the heart. Don’t think, just enjoy.