Review found at eer-music website.
Ten JinnAs On A Darkling Plain (CD, 72:09); Wildman Records WMR-002, 1999
Wildman Records
c/o John Paul Strauss
P.O. Box 56822
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
E-mail: tenjinn@pacbell.net
Ph: (818) 988-8280
Fax: (818) 988-8170
Cyberhome: www.loop.com/~tenjinn
Well, after Ten Jinn’s Wildman release, I suggested Strauss had a pretty cool gig
goin’ with this dark theatre of Ricean-inspired, rock vampirology he played with a bit. Now it has
blossomed full and afresh into an epic 40:05 rock opera of eight movements. I am sure this makes
for quite a stage show if done right, (to date I can but imagine such). As stated in my earlier
reviews, Ten Jinn brings to mind the best of Saga and Glass Moon wrapped together. This time
out, I hear less pop-sappy and hook-laden, mainstream-inflected rock. Finally the progressive tips
the scale. Surprisingly so, three of the eight “As On A Darkling Plain” movements are all
instrumental. This is a gracious proggish improvement on Strauss’ part, seeing that he must
therefore refrain from sharing his fine voice. Just listen and you can hear Strauss’s transparent
love for pathos-rich vocals. Passion and lush expression are loaded in all Ten Jinn’s lyrics.
Ten Jinn holds yet another surprise -- “Happy the Stan” Whitaker, guests on guitars. So
with some of that legendary Happy The Man axework present you will notice the guitar presence
moving up several notable notches. Best cut, for my in-your-face, prog rockin’ taste, of the
vampiric epic’s blood-letting was -- voodoo drum roll please -- “Run Away”, a clear hands down
finale/outro/climactic killer track. The excitement was infectious with Strauss’ gut-wrenching
vocals. Keys were a driving/whirling maelstrom cool, bass akickin’, drums mean, and monster
guitars slayed me. Strauss solar-plexus-wailed beastly like Glenn Danzig did on How the Gods
Kill. Great track dudes!
The last 32 bonus “rock-out-and-croon-a-lot” minutes on this CD give us “Lost In The
Money”, a Saga/Glass Moon-like rocker with a strong southern-fried rock “Sweet Home
Alabama” undercurrent holding things together. “Blind Authority” is another peppy rocker with
tight grooves and Whitaker, (methinks), tearing it up deftly on guitar solos. “Rock” slows things
up in an undulating, drifting, cosmic carousel of Happy The Man meets Rush prog rock with
vocals. Guitar solos are straightup pentatonic rock with little fusion nor eclectic modalities,
(which I wish were used more).
ATTENTION: Please insert the very decent track, “Tomorrow”, (song six), right here as
the “big finish”, CD outro. NOTE: This is where the CD should have stopped, in my
amateur wannabe-a-CD producer opinion.
Weakest, (should have been left off the disc), track for me was the 5:10 “I Can’t See”.
This is irritatingly tongue-in-cheek, circus-like, goofball pop. It was plagued with
dorky/dippy/dweeb vocal excesses and too much crybaby lyrics. Why do progressive, supposed-
to-be “art” rock bands choose to offer us such drivel/filler when they exhibit clear talent
elsewhere?
Final track, “Lay Down Beside Me (In The Rain)”. This is but more more of that
Saga/Glass Moon-ish angst-drenched vox and please-love-me-baby jive with quasi-arena-slick-
rock delivery, and its inherent, not-so interesting compositional matrix. Sorry ‘bout that guys.
Compared to Ten Jinn’s earlier Wildman release, AOADP is clearly
superior. Strauss’ vampire-inspired songs really work. The remainder of the disc is professionally
decent rock but holds two lackluster “filler” tracks. If you like Saga or Glass Moon, Ten Jinn will
please. Alas, I heard very little on this disc that allowed Stan Whitaker’s monumental prog rock
guitar legacy to breathe. He handles Ten Jinn, theatre-prog rock with ease but we know he is
capable of so very much more. Strauss’ vox is superb as usual on tracks he really cares about. I
am curious to see where Ten Jinn heads with their future releases. I hear an enormous amount of
potential that needs a bit more focus and a bigger step towards more art and less rock.
~ John W. Patterson
Ten JinnAs On A Darkling Plain (CD, 72:09); Wildman Records WMR-002, 1999
Wildman Records
c/o John Paul Strauss
P.O. Box 56822
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
E-mail: tenjinn@pacbell.net
Ph: (818) 988-8280
Fax: (818) 988-8170
Cyberhome: www.loop.com/~tenjinn
Well, after Ten Jinn’s Wildman release, I suggested Strauss had a pretty cool gig
goin’ with this dark theatre of Ricean-inspired, rock vampirology he played with a bit. Now it has
blossomed full and afresh into an epic 40:05 rock opera of eight movements. I am sure this makes
for quite a stage show if done right, (to date I can but imagine such). As stated in my earlier
reviews, Ten Jinn brings to mind the best of Saga and Glass Moon wrapped together. This time
out, I hear less pop-sappy and hook-laden, mainstream-inflected rock. Finally the progressive tips
the scale. Surprisingly so, three of the eight “As On A Darkling Plain” movements are all
instrumental. This is a gracious proggish improvement on Strauss’ part, seeing that he must
therefore refrain from sharing his fine voice. Just listen and you can hear Strauss’s transparent
love for pathos-rich vocals. Passion and lush expression are loaded in all Ten Jinn’s lyrics.
Ten Jinn holds yet another surprise -- “Happy the Stan” Whitaker, guests on guitars. So
with some of that legendary Happy The Man axework present you will notice the guitar presence
moving up several notable notches. Best cut, for my in-your-face, prog rockin’ taste, of the
vampiric epic’s blood-letting was -- voodoo drum roll please -- “Run Away”, a clear hands down
finale/outro/climactic killer track. The excitement was infectious with Strauss’ gut-wrenching
vocals. Keys were a driving/whirling maelstrom cool, bass akickin’, drums mean, and monster
guitars slayed me. Strauss solar-plexus-wailed beastly like Glenn Danzig did on How the Gods
Kill. Great track dudes!
The last 32 bonus “rock-out-and-croon-a-lot” minutes on this CD give us “Lost In The
Money”, a Saga/Glass Moon-like rocker with a strong southern-fried rock “Sweet Home
Alabama” undercurrent holding things together. “Blind Authority” is another peppy rocker with
tight grooves and Whitaker, (methinks), tearing it up deftly on guitar solos. “Rock” slows things
up in an undulating, drifting, cosmic carousel of Happy The Man meets Rush prog rock with
vocals. Guitar solos are straightup pentatonic rock with little fusion nor eclectic modalities,
(which I wish were used more).
ATTENTION: Please insert the very decent track, “Tomorrow”, (song six), right here as
the “big finish”, CD outro. NOTE: This is where the CD should have stopped, in my
amateur wannabe-a-CD producer opinion.
Weakest, (should have been left off the disc), track for me was the 5:10 “I Can’t See”.
This is irritatingly tongue-in-cheek, circus-like, goofball pop. It was plagued with
dorky/dippy/dweeb vocal excesses and too much crybaby lyrics. Why do progressive, supposed-
to-be “art” rock bands choose to offer us such drivel/filler when they exhibit clear talent
elsewhere?
Final track, “Lay Down Beside Me (In The Rain)”. This is but more more of that
Saga/Glass Moon-ish angst-drenched vox and please-love-me-baby jive with quasi-arena-slick-
rock delivery, and its inherent, not-so interesting compositional matrix. Sorry ‘bout that guys.
Compared to Ten Jinn’s earlier Wildman release, AOADP is clearly
superior. Strauss’ vampire-inspired songs really work. The remainder of the disc is professionally
decent rock but holds two lackluster “filler” tracks. If you like Saga or Glass Moon, Ten Jinn will
please. Alas, I heard very little on this disc that allowed Stan Whitaker’s monumental prog rock
guitar legacy to breathe. He handles Ten Jinn, theatre-prog rock with ease but we know he is
capable of so very much more. Strauss’ vox is superb as usual on tracks he really cares about. I
am curious to see where Ten Jinn heads with their future releases. I hear an enormous amount of
potential that needs a bit more focus and a bigger step towards more art and less rock.
~ John W. Patterson