Dave Burn - Nothing Is As It Seems Review

For starters, I totally agree with the album tittle. Nothing really is what it seems and there’s no way of denying it. “Nothing Is As It Seems” is really a great name for an album. Second thing. I have to apologize because I know some people may not like the way I compare bands saying that this band reminds that band. Sorry, I know, but the thing is that I can’t help it because of my musical memory. When I hear an album I immediately, and unconsciously, search for an album I know of or I have heard in the pvery distant past. Most times when I was learning how to Metal, but it’s not a rule. It may be a very dear band of mine which I ran into years ago.

Okay, so let’s go. “Nothing Is As It Seems” reminds me Rainbow albums from Joe Lynn Turner era in especial 1982’s “Straight Between the Eyes.” Vocalist Lee Small’s voice reminds it a lot. And guitarist Dave Burn, the mastermind of the band and the album, does a pretty damn good job here. Very polished technique always searching for the right tone, for the right note. It’s only the speed to go up and down the scales, it’s the feeling to use the right scale for the right moment. Tha lost art of choosing the best note for the best solo ever. Very few do that today. Most of them say that the pentatonic scales are obsolete. Dave Burn doesn’t. And he gives us very precious moments fo the mix of blues-rock-metal guitar combining technique and feeling and lots of melody.

“Nothing Is As It Seems” is full of melodic tunes combines with harsher moments. This balance is very difficult to find and many bands have failed miserably trying to do so. Dave Burn was able to do it with flying colors. Despite the fact that there are moments that the album gets very near some Yngwie Malmsteen stuff as in “Understand.” Just as a reminder Joe Lynn Turner and Yngwie Malmsteen had a partnership some time ago. and feeling is something Yngwie Malmsteen doesn’t have any, if you know what I mean. The tones Dave Burn gets with his guitar are great. That’s the tone of “Nothing Is As It Seems” this mix of melodic vocals with harsher guitars with combined techniques and lots of feeling. In fact, the album is much more Gary Moore than Yngwie Malmsteen as “Boat To Samarkand” shows us. Thanks to Dave Burn. Since I mentioned it, I guess Gary Moore explains much better what we have here. The feeling, the good taste, the well-chosen notes and tones. All here.