COLOSSEUM II
More hits than misses from Hiseman’s fusion supergroup.
The third and final album from Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum II comes to CD in the UK for the first time in a brand-new mastering from the original tapes. It was one of two albums the band released in 1977 featuring Hiseman behind the drum kit, alongside Don Airey on keys, bassist John Mole and Gary Moore on guitar. It’s Moore who really shines here and his fluency in this very ferocious form of jazz rock fusion may surprise those who only know him from Thin Lizzy or his blues records.
War Dance is certainly a product of its time, when fusion was all the rage, allowing musicians to express their virtuosity without worries about being accused of self-indulgence. The opening title track sees Moore tearing it up, matched by Hiseman’s endless rolls around his massive drum set, while the funky groove of Major Keys suggests the influence of Billy Cobham on tracks like Red Baron and A Funky Thide Of Sings. The hard-driving shuffle of Fighting Talk features a bristling exchange between Airey and Moore as they fire salvos back and forth, with the guitarist reaching higher and higher into the stratosphere, and the quartet fairly charge through the uptempo Put It That Way.
There’s only one vocal performance, courtesy of Moore, and it comes on Castles, a soulful ballad among the least interesting and ambitious tracks of the set, despite his impassioned delivery. The Spanish tinge of the frantically paced The Inquisition suggests the band had been listening to Al Di Meola’s Elegant Gypsy, released seven months earlier.
The last two tracks never reach the same intensity as the rest of the record. The three-part space rock of Star Maiden/Mysterioso/Quasar sees the players noodling around in search of a memorable melody, while Last
Exit feels like an exercise in shredding from Moore. But overall this is a very strong outing from a band that never achieved the same recognition as Return To Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra despite the often brilliant musicianship on display.