THE LIZARDS -

THE LIZARDS - RULE - HYPERSPACE
The Lizards is a gathering of several veteran and respected musicians. Playing classic heavy rock, The Lizards is bassist Randy Pratt and guitarist Patrick Klein who have performed with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Blue Cheer and others. Also on the CD (but since departed) is vocalist John Garner of Lord Baltimore. The line-up is completed by Bobby Rondinelli of Blue Oyster Cult and Rainbow fame. Quite an ensemble then and one which does not disappoint and plays pretty much what the fans of the aforementioned bands would expect.
Songs like It's Alright, Grip Of Love and Kingdom Come hint at Cream, Deep Purple and even Blue Cheer. It is classic heavy rock and in the best traditions of that style occasionally introspective and indulgent. A couple of songs towards the tail end of the album do not uphold the overall standard of the disc, but the listener pretty much gets what he expects with Rule. One final note: the colourful front and back cover artwork are both fun and entertaining. - Ali "The Metallian"

THE LIZARDS - COLD BLOODED KINGS
The Lizards is an anachronism and that is a good thing. Listen to the band's vintage hard rock sound and it is as if the whole band just crawled out of the era of acid rock. The band - Mike Di Meo, Patrick Klein, Randy Pratt and Bobby Rondinelli - embodies everything that '70s hard rock and heavy metal stood for. The band's influences come to a head on this disc which is laden with honest, organic and vintage heavy rock complete with a Hammond organ thrown in to complete the sound. The list of the bands that The Lizards remind one of is like a who's-who of the '70s hard rock scene. There are many references to David Coverdale and Deep Purple, Take A Ride stirs memories of early Rush, Down could have Coverdale on vocals and yet be a Black Sabbath song. Psychedelic moments a la Led Zeppelin are all over the disc of course. Then again, Rising Star has a lounge music aura to it and Hyperspace could have easily fit in on an early Rainbow LP as an instrumental. The Lizards is a great band for fans of the style with its cool vocals and enraptured music with the only weak link being the uninspired drumming. Head over to www.thelizardswebsite.com to find out more about this curious band. - Ali "The Metallian"