Dark Matter

Artist: John Sloman
Label: Majestic Rock
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 822927004721
EAN: 0822927004721
ASIN: B0000996A5

Release Date: 2005-05-05

Dark Matter

Related Categories:

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Humankind
New Day
Joe Public
Room at the End of the Hallway
Rage on the New Age
Weatherman
Rose Without a Thorn
Really Don't Want to Know
Jammin' with Jesus
Dream a Dream

Album Description

2003 solo album for artist who arrived on the scene as the exciting frontman for Welsh rockers Lone Star before stints as vocalist with Uriah Heep & Gary Moore & keyboardist with UFO & Todd Rundgren. Ten tracks. Majestic Rock.

Customer Reviews:

People can change after twenty-three years . . ........2004-02-05

John Sloman, who I know mainly (only in fact) from his brief year spent as frontman of my all-time favorite band forever and ever Amen, Uriah Heep, was something of a musical anomaly. He shows up for one album, and then disappeared just as quickly. I am aware of the alleged conflicts in Heep that legends say drove him out, but I liked the guy a lot, and would have to be honest liked to hear more from him, at least one more album if not more. But we didn't get it, and Sloman vanished into obscurity (locating the work he did with different bands is difficult, as the albums seem to be out of print, but I could stand corrected). As far as I was concerned, Sloman was a one-time event, never to be heard from again once the final chorus of the bonus track "Lying" faded out on my copy of Uriah Heep's "Conquest"... never heard from again until now.
In 2003, Sloman released a solo album, recorded in his homeland of Wales, and it was thanks to the extreme kindness of my brother that I received a copy of it for Christmas (as a poor college student, I am no longer able to buy things on my own). A lot of time elapsed between 1980 and 2003... time enough, in fact, for me to be born and then grow to the age of 23 (yes, I was born the year Sloman sang for Heep!). I was anxious to hear the man again, what with his distinct voice, flambuoyant shrieks, and theatrical, pseudo-operaic vocalizations (one thing I liked about Sloman in Heep was the way he didn't sound like ANYone I'd ever listened to before... while the liner notes say that during his time as a rising star he was referred to as "the new Robert Plant" in some magazines/reviews, I honestly don't really hear it. In tone, I might concede, but certainly not as far as style goes). Well, I got Sloman back, but was he the man he used to be?
Yes, I know people change over time, and I even told myself that when I first found out about the existence of this album. Still, in spite of that, I was really expecting "Conquest Part II" with "Dark Matter", and that isn't what I got. Now, this isn't to say that I was disappointed, because I wasn't, it's just that I didn't get the album I'd sort of envisioned before hand (take THAT Descartes and all your innate ideas!). "Dark Matter" is a completely different animal, much, much more aggressive than the 1980 Heep offering, and far less up-beat (though I wouldn't describe "Conquest" as a happy album, it still had its bright spots) and much more dark and dreary ... in other words, it most certainly lives up to its title. The Sloman of "Dark Matter" isn't exactly the same Sloman of "Conquest", so if you're like me than don't let that be the reason why you buy this. But if you want a good, different, dark, and sometimes unsettling album to listen to, than give this a shot. Not having heard "Conquest" will in no way affect your enjoyment of "Dark" (though honestly, if you found your way here to the Amazon listing and know who Sloman is, you've probably heard "Conquest" already), and really having heard it will leave you with false expectations when the time comes to put this one in the player for the first time. It's really best to wipe your mind clean of what its heard before, and start fresh.

The album closes with the one song I really want to mention in particular, "Dream a Dream". Great song, especially for those last two minutes, filled with some excellent guitars, drumming, and harmony vocals (just check out those fantastic seconds where the guitars drop out, leaving us with the drums and vocals on their own!). I love it ... and best of all, we get a return to form for Sloman, who's waited till the very last song to become what he was back in his days with Heep... it's great to hear him again in this way, especially after we've warmed to and accepted him in his more current manifestation.

I heard "Dark Matter" as a "Conquest" fan, wanting to hear more. I didn't get what I expected, but I still liked this album a lot (in some ways ... track eight gives me pause once I realize what it is I've said). It's great ... whether you're a Heep fan or not, if you like good hard rock/classic heavy metal, this album is a definite must in your music collection. I'm really sorry it's so obscure ... "Dark Matter" by John Sloman definitely deserves to be heard.

Carry On Carry On (guess from whom I stole that phrase in the first place?),

Just when I thought rock would never be like this again..........2003-11-10

... I found out John Sloman's Dark Matter!

This is a true feast for '70s rock-style fans' crave for music. I was blown away right from the start! This album is driven by passion and a genuine desire to create first class rock music, not as a banal attempt to make money or to satisfy greedy music tycoons not caring about the art itself.

John Sloman's contribution to rock was huge in the late 70's and early '80s. I wish he had stayed with UFO because his un-credited keyboard playing in The Wild The Willing and The Innocent album was unique, and the potential for even greater albums was there. In Dark Matter, he plays straight-ahead rock guitar with beautiful simplicity. His voice is more mature now (and accessible to the casual listener), and the songs simply rock!

Many years have passed by since he gave us Lone Star's Firing On All Six, Uriah Heep's Conquest and vocals with Gary Moore... but certainly worth the wait. Keep on rockin' John, more music like this and you will continue growing your fan base from all over the world!

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