Carl Verheyen Band

"Atlas Overload"
(Provogue) 

The front cover of this CD looks cheesy, but it misrepresents the scorching rock/blues that guitarist Carl Verheyen has constructed with drummer and Steve Di Stanislo and bassist Cliff Hugo. This rhythm section provides a strong foundation upon which Verheyen's Sting-like vocals and interesting guitar riffs to rest. After being stung by artists like Pat Travers trying to do this genre and having too few of them sound like Craig Erickson's Retro Blues Express, this is *such* a welcome treat. The instrumental "Nordenham" is literally crying for you to make up your own emotional lyrics, but they would just get in the way of Verheyen's emotional guitar work. DiStanislo shines on this track with his tasteful fills and crisp snare cracks. Bassist Hugo is sharp as well. The upbeat stomp "Stand Up" follows and returns to Verheyen singing. This is a stellar release, though I could've done without the cliche final track "Wasted Blues" which seems tacked on to the end of the release. The melody mimics a Stevie Ray Vaughn 12 bars blues structure with less cliche lyrics and a less-than-inspired solo. This is the only filler track on this CD. The CD would have been better without it.

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