UFO – Seven Deadly

Classic Rock legends UFO have released their 20th studio album, Seven Deadly. Renowned vocalist and original founding member Phil Mogg has been with the band since its inception. Mogg has been through so many lineup changes with UFO it would take a complex algorithm to keep track of everyone. However, the last few years have been relatively stable for the band, and a great chemistry has evolved between Mogg and current guitarist Vinnie Moore.

There is one thing you must keep in mind when listening to later year UFO material. The edgy guitar-driven Hard Rock riffs that were established by Michael Schenker during their years of great fame in the 1970’s are no more. The UFO of today is a Bluesy and Melodic Rock band driven by the persuasive vocal talents of Phil Mogg. Once that is accepted, then the listening experience can begin with relative harmony.

Many fans will connect with Vinnie Moore as a shredding guitar master of the 1980’s, famous for his Neo-Classical instrumental albums like Mind’s Eye and Time Odyssey. He has toned down considerably for his tour of duty with UFO, although he is still able to produce some very exciting and impressive Blues riffs. However, don’t expect to hear Moore belt out lightning fast solos or anything too impulsive. He is very careful to stay within the strict blueprint of the band’s formula. Additionally, Moore also takes credit with writing all of the music for UFO, while Mogg writes the lyrics.

Mogg’s vocals are still as strong as ever on Seven Deadly. He always had a very distinct, rougher vocal style that’s actually a perfect fit for the Bluesy Rock songs he currently produces. There are many places on this album where he resembles Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan performing with a straining high-pitched vocal effort. Mogg proves himself to be the clear leader of UFO, as all the compositions are centralized around his vocals. One of the best examples of Mogg’s outstanding vocal effort can be heard during the track “Burn Your House Down”, which is a darker, melancholic type of song. During this track, Mogg does a great job of putting a more emotional and slightly theatrical spin on his vocals, which he doesn’t do very often. More efforts like this would certainly help define Mogg as a more reputable vocalist on multiple levels.

Essentially, Seven Deadly is virtually a carbon copy of their previous 2009 release The Visitor. The songs have a very standard Rock formula with varied Bluesy riffs. There isn’t anything mind-blowing or extraordinary, just very safe music that is tailor made for the generation of fans that most likely grew up with them back in the ’70s. From a musical standpoint, one would expect more pushing of the limits and a full utilization of the talents of Vinnie Moore, but Mogg and company are very content with their current style and fans seem to be generally pleased with the outcome. They haven’t hit ‘rock bottom’ yet, so they’ll just have to ‘let it roll’!