Formed in Italy in the early 2010’s, SILVER HORSES featured as frontman no-other than celebrated vocalist Tony Martin (ex Black Sabbath). The band presented the self-titled debut CD two years after, but as they were not entirely happy with the final sound and to promote upcoming shows, they decided to re-release the album, remastered and with 2 new, extra bonus tracks.
Silver Horses were put together by guitar player Gianluca Galli (Time Machine) and drummer Matteo Bonini. After the band completed the line-up with bass player Andrea Castelli, they needed an Anglo-born vocalist to sing their Classic Hard Rock songs.
Through Dario Mollo they contacted Tony Martin, who immediately accepted, and the combo recorded their self-titled debut.
Tony Martin, who incidentally has Italian forefathers, previously worked in the Mollo-Martin project. Best known for his time fronting British legends Black Sabbath during their most commercial period in the late ‘80s / early ‘90s, Martin’s bluesy tone was the perfect choice for Silver Horses’ material.
The music here is Classic, traditional Hard Rock with a foot firmly planted in the Seventies and the other in the groove from the ’80s.
“Silver Horses” distills a strong influence from the Page / Plant band on opener “Rub It On Me”, “Life And Soul” and the acoustically filled “Diamond Sky”, all in the Led Zepp IV vein.
Much more modern, “Secret Service” recalls the Coverdale/Page adventure, while in the marching “Run” middle-Eighties Deep Purple outcrops.
The band shows a more contemporary approach in the Eastern flavored “Me”, the bluesy hard rocking Badlands-like “You”, and the moving “You’re Breaking My Heart” where the Whitesnake / Bernie Marsden era comes to mind.
Title track is moody midtempo bluesy acoustic number, and the band also delivers good ballads in the groovy “Suddenly Lost” and the pure acoustic closer “Who’s Holding On To You”, a really classy track with a nice melody.
This remastered reissue add two nice bonus tracks. One is titled ‘The Song That Never Was’, a nice short track, while the other is the new acoustic version of “Me”, but this is not just a relaxed take of the same song, this has been completely reworked / re-arranged and sounds completely different. Great work.
“Silver Horses” offers a very, very classic set of hard rock songs very well composed, performed and recorded. The sound and style are typically British, served with a precise and polished musicianship finely produced, warm and organic. Tony Martin feels like a fish in the water within this material, in top form as usual enhancing the tunes with his phenomenal throat.
A good dish of Classic Hard Rock is always welcomed, and “Silver Horses” is very, very purist in its delivery.
Highly Recommended
1. Rub It On Me
2. Run
3. Life And Soul
4. Diamond Sky
5. Secret Service
6. Suddenly Lost
7. Me
8. Silver Horses
9. You're Breaking My Heart (Don't Do It)
10. You
11. Who's Holding On To Yo
Silver Horses – Silver Horses 2023 Reissue MP3+FLAC
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