SLAMER – Nowhere Land

Mike Slamer, a well known British guitarist from bands such as City Boy, Atlanta, and Georgia’s Streets has now released a solo album. Nowhere Land is a great album featuring heavy guitar riffs, high pitched vocals, and, of course, very melodic tunes, which is what most people would have in mind when thinking about Mike. The band consists of very experienced musicians and they are actually somewhat known. Slamer joined forces with ex-Strangeways member Terry Brock, Billy Greer from the Progressive band Kansas, and Chet Wynd (who plays with Slamer and Greer in Seventh Key).

The opening track, which is also the title track of the album, is just amazing. Starting out with an atmospheric intro featuring keyboards and a lot of different sound effects, it gradually goes into a kick-ass phase when the band joins in during the heavy guitar riff. Sometimes it even gets a little Progressive too. “The lyrics are an observation on the increasing loss of identity, individuality, and privacy.” That is what Mike says about the lyrics written for this song.

“Strength To Carry On” is an outstanding song. It begins with a guitar/keyboard intro, which could bring your thoughts to the music of guitarist Eric Johnson. This is a wonderful ballad and it’s very melodic. It is dominated by a sublime guitar sound, which is excellent! The lyrics tell the story of getting through everyday life with help from a special person.

“Not In Love” is a riff-based song; very melodic and heavy. The beginning is a little Progressive and has a guitar riff which last for about one and a half minutes. When the chorus comes, the song enters a very melodic phase before it goes back to the heavy basic in the verse again. It really should be mentioned that Mike has a wonderful guitar sound on this record and it feels good to listen to such a fantastic sound. His guitar solos on this record are just tremendous!

“Come To Me” is the mysterious song of the album. It’s a wonderful ballad; extremely melodic and has a very beautiful guitar solo. The intro is worth every second of listening. The song lasts for 8 minutes, but it doesn’t seem like it’s that long. It takes you away on a journey into the atmospheric and tender phase of music.

“Higher Ground” starts out with a Funky intro, which is followed by an intense and heavy verse. A very fine song … melodic, with a simple sing-along chorus. You’ll simply love the refrain on this song after listening to it. It’s just beautiful. Vocalist Terry Brock does a very good job on this track too. The song is very vocal-based with a lot of choir in the chorus.

The tracks mentioned here are the most outstanding songs on the album. He shows his quality as a songwriter as well as a guitarist, and people who are into his previous bands like City Boy should absolutely try out this CD. There’s a lot of material on this album that easily could have been written and released in the 80s as well! It’s an album with lots of sing-alongs, beautiful melodies, heavy riffs, and lyrics about everyday life. Nowhere Land is an album you’ll definitely fall in love with. An absolute Melodic Rock masterpiece!

Tracklist

1. Nowhere Land
2. Strength To Carry On
3. Not In Love
4. Come To Me
5. Higher Ground
6. Jaded
7. Beyond The Pale
8. Runaway
9. Audio Illusion
10. Perfect Circle
11. Superstar

Lineup

Terry Brock – Lead Vocals and Background Vocals
Mike Slamer – Guitars, Keyboards, and Background Vocals
Chet Wynd – Drums, Percussion, and Background Vocals
Billy Greer – Background Vocals
Scott Bal – Additional Background Vocals (Nowhere Land)