Review Summary: The oh so talented guitarist Richie Kotzen channels early Led Zeppelin and 90's Soundgarden for a nostalgic trip through the sounds of classic Hard Rock.
Richie Kotzen is probably not a name you're too familiar with, unless of course you're well acquainted with the work of Mr. Big. In Kotzen's case he filled the shoes of their guitarist Paul Gilbert for a brief period of time in the production of "Get Over It". It's also interesting to note that Kotzen additionally played a large role in the production of Poison's album "Native Tongue" when he was just over 21 years of age. Interestingly enough, Kotzen is more than just a talented guitarist, but also a vocalist of a talent far beyond his peers. One has to be quite talented to emulate the wails and high singing range of Robert Plant or Chris Cornell without sounding like too much of a Shinedown sellout. What's interesting about Kotzen is that his delivery feels authentic, and while his influences become quite apparent on "Into The Black", he's clearly a class act in terms of producing excellent classic rock.
Nothing too ground breaking is being accomplished Richie Kotzen, but nonetheless it's interesting to hear a 90's grunge sound being taken into the realm of traditional classic rock (something Kotzen seems to do well on this release). While most of Kotzen's earlier work was based more upon traditional blues rock formats with small dashes of progressive rock at times, Kotzen is able to pull this all his influences together pretty well on songs like "Fear". The mellow introduction of light percussion and later involvement of distorted guitars yields a stunning near 5 minute song that could have easily found itself within the tracklist of Soundgarden's 1994 release "Superunknown". In fact, if you're familiar with the grunge act's work, you might be a little confused at times as Kotzen's vocal range does break into a "Chris Cornell" like falsetto fairly often if it isn't borrowing from the singing styles of rock bands from the 1970's such as Rush or Triumph.
The subject matter on this album seems to combine the subject matter of both 1970's rock and that of 1990's grunge in the respect that Kotzen will often discuss the trials of an emotionally tolling love life and will later enter into topics that are quite dark, often dealing with themes of existentialism or extreme self doubt. One song in particular, "Sacred Ground", seems to capture this concept the best with its angsty chorus:
Im in your hands
I am a primal scream
Help me be strong
To love my life
There is no light where I come from
When your around I feel like Im on a sacred ground
As you dive into some songs however, the album is not entirely surrounded in more pessimistic lyrics, as Kotzen is easily borrowing as much from the bluesy sounds of Led Zeppelin as he is the more post-punk dimensions of Soundgarden. Thus, you have an interesting blend here, and in terms of originality Kotzen is able to successfully blend these styles into a harmonious sound where neither style is really competing with the other, but rather working together to build a strong and cohesive piece of music. Kotzen avoids the 'mixed-bag' issue that many artists often fail to address on their releases; he could have easily composed an album that had a few emulations of 90's alternative rock and a few classic rock ballads thrown together. Instead he took the time to blend these two styles together, a concept within itself that makes "In The Black" a pretty relevant listen for somebody who wants to see two styles of rock music come together in balance. Some of the breakdowns on this album are notable as well, as one couldn't forget to note Kotzen's technical skill when it comes to playing the guitar. "The Shadow", another highlight song from this album, captures his instrumental skills the best, and while the song clocks in at just over four and a half minutes, he's certain to make sure you note his ability to shred a few chords on his Fender guitar. All in all, "Into The Black" is at least worth a solid listen to somebody who wants to note a more modern take on our common understanding of traditional classic rock.
