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The Lizards

Reptilicus Maximus

Review by Gary Hill

You just can’t go wrong with this band. They always churn out some smoking hot hard rock that’s both modern and rooted in classic sounds. This is no exception. It’s also got some proggy stuff, too. If you like your hard rock bluesy and just incredibly tasty, give these guys a chance. You won’t regret it.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Ton on the One

I love the central riff driving this thing. The cut feels a lot like Deep Purple, but with a bit of Dio in the mix, too. It’s a killer hard rocker and a great way to start things in style. This does get a definite parental advisory on the lyrics, though.

Evil Eyes
There is a soulful, almost jazzy groove to this cut. It has elements of progressive rock in place, too. It’s a classy cut that is mellower and more melodic than the opener. This has some awesome instrumental work. Those sections really bring that progressive rock edge to play along with some fusion.
Incurable
This song basically has two distinct sections. The first part is an electric blues number complete with harmonica. It works out into a jam after that, though, that feels like In Rock era Deep Purple in a lot of ways. It’s a real powerhouse tune.
Crash
The first movement of this is in a piano and voice ballad motif. After that runs through for a time, though, they power out into a somewhat proggy Deep Purple like jam that really rocks. The guitar solo brings something close to technical metal. There is also an instrumental section that calls to mind a cross between modern epic metal and progressive rock.
Crawlin' King Snake
This is classic styled blues rock at its best. Comparisons to Deep Purple are again valid, but that’s not the end all be all here. I love the keyboard sounds and the whole thing just oozes cool.
In The Pleasure Dome
This is an awesome track. It has definite ties to modern epic metal. Yet, I can also hear both Deep Purple and Rainbow in the mix. This is just such a meaty and magical piece. It’s arguably the best thing here. It’s worth the price of admission all by itself. I love the organ solo in the middle of the number, too.
Wild West
This hard rocking screamer is almost heavy metal. In fact, it has something in common with the harder edged stuff from the 80s. Whitesnake perhaps comes to mind. 
Pray For Peace
After an unusual, almost electronic introduction, this works out to a jam that’s very much a blues based metal sound. It reminds me of a cross between Rainbow and Dio solo in a lot of ways. There is a more modern edge at play, too.
The Rat's 'N Us
There is almost a funk groove to this thing. Beyond that, it’s more bluesy hard rocking sound. It’s a good tune, but not a standout. It’s really a tribute to the quality of this set that this song is just sort of an “also ran” here. On many albums it would be a real highlight.
Turnin' Me Under
Here’s another that suffers a bit from the quality of everything else here. This is a great bluesy rocker. It just doesn’t stand out because there is so much exceptional stuff here. Personally, I think the end jam grinds on a bit too long.
Miracle Man
This cut is more of the same in a lot of ways. It has elements of bluesy hard rock, heavy metal and perhaps some Southern rock. It’s another cut that gets lost a little here, even though it would be a highlight of any number of other albums. I guess that’s the curse of bands as good as this, they have to really exceed or cut their releases short to have everything stand especially tall.  All that said, the fast paced jam here really rocks. It has some killer bass work and feels proggy. The main riff on this thing reminds me quite a bit of the music to John Carpenter’s “They Live,” though.
 
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