It’s wild to think that Chris Slade has been drumming professionally longer than most of us have been alive. That is unless you’re well over the age of 60, in which case, disregard the sentiment, but I digress. The fact is from the ’60s onwards, there’s been at least one album boasting this journeyman drummer’s talents. From Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and Asia, to The Firm and AC/DC, and countless other bands, projects, and sessions in between, there’s very little Slade hasn’t done: That is except the inevitable solo record…until now.
For the past decade, The Chris Slade Timeline have made their way around the euro fest circuit, serving as a live retrospective of Slade’s storied career. Ironically, Slade has been holding down the beat for his own namesake band longer than any other, so it’s only right that they finally made it to the studio to record their aptly titled debut album, Timescape. True to its title, Timescape tackles the past, present, and future of Slade’s career: A two disc set, the first consisting of (mostly) originals and the second consisting of covers.
Just as Slade’s résumé runs a gamut of rock n’ roll subgenres, so does the first disc of Timescape. There are faithful renditions of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s “Joybringer” and “Questions”: A duo of prog-pop gems that cracked the charts way back in the ’70s. The psychedelic “Time Flies” expands upon this style, as does the quirky “Living the Dream”, which boasts some art rock maneuvers akin to 10cc or The Alan Parsons Project. For the headbangers, there’s plenty to enjoy in heavy rockers like “Sundance”, “We Will Survive”, and the strongest of the bunch, “Back with a Vengeance”, which shines with its uptempo drive and shrill Brian Johnson-esque vocals. Hopefully a subsequent Timeline album will feature more in this vein.
As for the second helping of Timescape give us a healthy helping of AC/DC classics, some from Slade’s time (“The Razors Edge”, “Big Gun”, “Thunderstruck”) and others from beforehand (“Hells Bells”, “High Voltage”). There’s also some Asia (“Free”), Uriah Heep (“July Morning”), and even more Earth Band (“Blinded by the Light”). Do any of these covers surpass the originals? Absolutely not, but they serve their purpose in doing their best to sum up a six decade musical journey. I’m sure there will be a volume two in the future, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves now.
All in all, Timescape is a fun classic rock affair that’s guaranteed to please aficionados the globe over. It’s not revolutionary or groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination. In the same breath, neither was AC/DC and look how many units they’ve sold. Considering their musical future is in limbo, to put it lightly, it’s cool to see any past members of the storied band putting out new music in 2024, let alone the drummer of one of their biggest outings, The Razors Edge. As the old saying and song on this here album goes, “Time Flies”.
6 out of 10
Label: BraveWords Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Uriah Heep, AC/DC