DC Cooper - DC Cooper
Inside Out Music - 1999
By Nigel
Stand around the Ultimate Metal coffee pot long enough, and you'll soon hear a couple of us waxing lyrical about one of the finest, and underrated, singers around. DC Cooper came from obscurity to become one of the finalists to take over Judas Priest's vocalist spot made vacant by one Rob Halford. He didn't get the job, but he quickly made a name for himself as one of the most exciting new prospects around. Soon enough he joined Danish metallers Royal Hunt and recorded two albums with them, Moving Target and the brilliant Paradox. Then, he recorded this solo album, and was unceremoniously fired shortly afterwards.
Cooper has one of the best, and most recognisable, voices in metal, and he's not afraid to show it here. He was the only real reason this writer really liked Royal Hunt, and he stole the show on Shadow Gallery's Tyranny (as well as being the saving grace on the otherwise overblown "Age of Impact" from prog rock supergroup Explorers Club), and with this album he finally got to spread his wings and do his own thing. It's a good thing he did, too, otherwise we would have been deprived of one great offering.
The band is made up of Tore Ostby (Conception, whose album "Flow" is another favourite of mine), Gunter Werno (Vanden Plas), and Alfred Koffler, Dennis Ward and Kosta Zafiriou, all of Pink Cream 69.
"Dream" opens the album, and as album-openers go it's a doozy. An early highlight is the second track, a cover of Uriah Heep's "Easy Living", but the best song of the album is the excellent "Freedom". "The Union" is the perfect closing track for what is an amazing showcase of Cooper's talents.
DC Cooper now fronts Silent Force. I haven't heard any of their stuff yet, but as soon as I do their album will most likely have a near-permanent home in my CD player, if it's anything near the quality of this album.
A true masterpiece, without a doubt.
Inside Out Music - 1999
By Nigel
Stand around the Ultimate Metal coffee pot long enough, and you'll soon hear a couple of us waxing lyrical about one of the finest, and underrated, singers around. DC Cooper came from obscurity to become one of the finalists to take over Judas Priest's vocalist spot made vacant by one Rob Halford. He didn't get the job, but he quickly made a name for himself as one of the most exciting new prospects around. Soon enough he joined Danish metallers Royal Hunt and recorded two albums with them, Moving Target and the brilliant Paradox. Then, he recorded this solo album, and was unceremoniously fired shortly afterwards.
Cooper has one of the best, and most recognisable, voices in metal, and he's not afraid to show it here. He was the only real reason this writer really liked Royal Hunt, and he stole the show on Shadow Gallery's Tyranny (as well as being the saving grace on the otherwise overblown "Age of Impact" from prog rock supergroup Explorers Club), and with this album he finally got to spread his wings and do his own thing. It's a good thing he did, too, otherwise we would have been deprived of one great offering.
The band is made up of Tore Ostby (Conception, whose album "Flow" is another favourite of mine), Gunter Werno (Vanden Plas), and Alfred Koffler, Dennis Ward and Kosta Zafiriou, all of Pink Cream 69.
"Dream" opens the album, and as album-openers go it's a doozy. An early highlight is the second track, a cover of Uriah Heep's "Easy Living", but the best song of the album is the excellent "Freedom". "The Union" is the perfect closing track for what is an amazing showcase of Cooper's talents.
DC Cooper now fronts Silent Force. I haven't heard any of their stuff yet, but as soon as I do their album will most likely have a near-permanent home in my CD player, if it's anything near the quality of this album.
A true masterpiece, without a doubt.
