Category Archives: Cooler Than Antarctica
JERUSALEM Cooler Than Antarctica
…’Northern Lights’ has a breakneck rhythm! We can hear the violin of Rachel Hall at its best, with the rumbling bass of Ashley Cutler and sparkling keyboards by Geoff Downes…the album finishes in style with ‘Cry’, starting with a sweet, soaring violin by Rachel. The acceleration continues in a muscular vein, with violin soon resuming its duties with a great solo…This album is a must-have, full of sap, it’s a progressive heavy monument, a powder keg with which you are charged to light the fuse. 5 Stars
Highlands Magazine (September 2016 – translated)
If 2014′s “Black Horses” saw the ensemble trying to locate light moments in a bleak environment, its follow-up nails current situation on the head, what with Lynden Williams’ adoption of declarative delivery. Such stance is used to great effect in opener “Snake” whose riffs vigorously bite into philosophical and political comments, but the key to the piece’s proud position would be the “when you were younger” line, the past being a recurring theme here.
In this context, the glorious “Simple Man” – written around the time of the group’s 1972 debut and restored for eventual recording now – has an air of nostalgia about it, while “Drums, Bass And Guitar” serves up a romp through rock ‘n’ roll era, listing each decade’s attributes, on a harmonica-enhanced slab of rhythm-and-blues.
…And then there’s “Cry” to take it all to “forever after” via folk dance and heroic moves, which may quite possibly be the band’s best epic. If this is an assessment of the route they are taking now, that’s the way to go. ***2/3
DMME.net (August 2016)
“Northern Lights” shows the band at their best, the urgent, furtive, rhythm carrying you along at a magnificent lick that is as enigmatic as it is engaging. Vocally Williams is skilled and honed, and yet for some his delivery might be just a little too polite for the hard hitting fare his band hope to recount. However with accordion, blues harp and violin all making an appearance, the eclecticism is assured…In a way it is hard to ignore the underlying feeling of frivolity that somehow permeates from much on this album; from its quirky cover to its individualistic word play…If you’re looking for an album that reverberates with a pop pulse, pushes with a prog beat and then weighs in with some unusual lyrics and characterful vocals, this may be for you…
Sea Of Tranquility (July 2016)
Categorization of this release is difficult. Everything is normal on the one hand, and on the other influences are spread wide. Rock, melodic rock, pop, power pop, blues are completely natural aspects making for a diverse record. The fantastic “Steaming Hot” with a lot of organ sound and a nice guitar solo cries out for a live version, and also the power rocker “All My Doors Are Open” would be well suited to a live performance. Basically you would have to discuss every single song in detail from this album to do it justice.
There is refined harmonica and crisp blues on “Drums, Bass and Guitar”, and the rocker “Northern Nights” has intense melodies, then there’s the power pop of “Simple Simon” with its haunting refrain. There are sill calm tunes such as “The Book Of You”, to contrast with the power. An album without failure, which lacks only the occasional hit.
Music An Sich (Translated – June 2016)
In terms of proginess, what Jerusalem serve up, resides in the more rock with a slice of prog side of life, than the other way round, all of the songs reliant on a strong sense of melody and structure to get their message across. Lyrically however things are a little more quirk-driven, a sideways glance at the modern world being where everything stems from. This approach works best on the bullish “Steaming Hot”, the pulsating beat driving a comment on the wish to be young and beautiful forever…”Northern Lights” shows the band at their best, the urgent, furtive rhythm carrying you along at a magnificent lick that is as enigmatic as it is engaging.
Sea Of Tranquility (June 2016)
In “Northern Lights” the violin even gets a bit part, and Lynden Williams voice resounds with rich chimes. Here and there it is drawn from the blues and folk style which will sharpen your focus as it contrasts with the guitar rock. Fair is fair, Jerusalem can finally get the attention they deserve. Excellent guitar rock that will amaze, and that does not surprise me with such a good line-up.
Keys and Chords (Translated – June 2016)