CARL SENTANCE – Electric Eye

Although his name is name is nowhere near Ozzy’s or Dio’s as far as the history of Metal goes, Carl Sentance has collaborated with various artists through the years. Starting off with his NWOBHM band Persian Risk and then working with such names as Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, Deep Purple’s Don Airey, Krokus and, since 2015, Nazareth, Carl Sentance is no stranger to big names. So far it looks like the biggest achievement in Carl Sentance’s career is having played with multiple legendary acts rather than starting something new. But things may change as his second solo album Electric Eye saw the daylight on the 19th of November 2021.

The opening track is titled “Judas”. One might assume this is going to be some sort of a Judas Priest tribute since the album is titled like one of the band’s best known songs… but apparently the words of wisdom go: never assume. There is not much of the NWOBHM sound to that song. Instead, it sounds a lot more late 70s, a hint of Dynasty by KISS can be picked up here. Carl Sentance is a great singer, that is beyond doubt. It sounds like he has no problems sounding light and heavy at the same time which sure adds a lot to the overall quality. The album goes on and it is interesting how old, yet at the same time also modern it sounds. And that beautiful bass sound! It is a bit like Headcase’s Handbook by Medusa, although not exactly in terms of the genre – the Rock songs it features might also reach those who are not necessarily into Rock music. There’s also something for the fans of low frequencies here – a bass intro in the third track being the title one. It might make the listener think of the legendary John Entwistle of The Who; had he not passed away back in 2002, he might have done today if he got asked to play it – because he would have literally bored himself to death. But surprisingly, that bass line matches the rest of the instruments really well, therefore it is not bad.

According to the Japanese beliefs it is four that is the bad luck number. Not on Electric Eye as “Overload” is a really decent tune. This one kicks properly! A few seconds of the solo sound funnily similar to the breakdown of “Blitzkrieg” by the eponymous band (the cover version by Metallica). But some more diverse lead parts come in shortly thereafter and that’s as far as the Metallica cover similarities go.

In case anyone has ever wondered what Red Hot Chili Peppers might sound like combined with Metal – they need to wonder no more. The fifth track, titled “Nervous Breakdown” is the answer; to be precise, it is the very breakdown. These synths sound a fair bit like those in the chorus of “Midnight” off By The Way. This album is getting more interesting with every song. What goes round comes around, one might say while listening to the next track “Exile” – because here the bass line is really impressive. It is worth mentioning that there are many deep and touching solos on this album. Drifting away to some of them may be easy, especially the one from “Young Beggars”. Incredible how well the John Frusciante sound of electric guitar can work with Metal and it should not be much of a surprise – whether one loves or hates the RHCP, they always deliver quality music. But a mix of Classic Metal and Linkin Park probably sounds rather odd… and that’s what the 9th track “Battlecry” seems to be. That song starts very similar to how the album Hybrid Theory does. Everyone who has heard it will pick it up instantly. And still it is a brand new original song. Only one to go… and it’s a composition titled “California Queen” – again, sounds like Carl Sentance does appreciate the music by RHCP. Since “Parallel Universe” off Californication mentions being the California King, why say no to the California Queen! And there is a lot of The Beatles sound in that one also – the verse is very much a metalled up version of “The End”, the penultimate track off Abbey Road. Despite so many similarities to songs by other artists, Electric Eye does not sound like a bunch of hits from the past decades – and that calls for kudos.

Bearing all of the above in mind, Electric Eye is definitely fun to listen to. One question that arises now is what Carl Sentance’s mission actually is. Even though the record he’s just released is really good, it doesn’t really stand out enough to become a huge hit. Being able to deliver quality stuff sure comes in handy in the music industry, along with 99 other things, some of which have barely got to do with music. But considering Carl Sentance’s CV, he probably should message Flea, Chad Smith and John Frusciante letting them know that if they ever fall out with Anthony Kiedis, he’s the first in line. Perhaps with Carl Sentance onboard the Red Hot Chili Peppers could sound even better? One thing is for sure: they would finally have a quality singer. Jokes aside, everyone loves Anthony, even his critics do. It’s still not an easy question to answer whether Carl Sentance as a solo artist really can take on the world or not. Giving Electric Eye a listen should disperse some of the doubt.