Company of Snakes
Burst the Bubble
(SPV)

Whitesnake without Coverdale have finally come of age and produced an extremely good hard-blues rock album. The great thing about this 15 track affair is that you aren't left yearning for the ole' Cov. Since all the songs are new, there is no prejudice in the listening, Cov has never sung the stuff so you never miss his voice. In fact, CoS is Snakes in Paradise (John Stefan Berggren's previous band) with classic Whitesnake as a backing band. Really, CoS needs two lead singers: Jorn for the Whitesnake stuff and John for the new tunes. On to the music. While there is a strong Whitesnake influence on the band, the album actually sounds more like Bad Company, Deep Purple, and er, Thunder. Almost everything on here is catchy as stink. "Hurricane" is a great power ballad, while "She" is a Thunder-like rocker. Like any good album, Burst just gets better with each listen. I can't wait to see the band live in London next month. Company of Snakes have truely come out of Whitesnake's shadow and come into their own. Essential for any blues rock fan.

Marty Dodge: 9