Glyder is probably the closest thing to true Classic Rock as your going to find out there right now. Pride Tiger is right in the same category, but even they sound more like a Thin Lizzy clone than Glyder. These guys take obvious influences from the greats of the 70's, but they implement their own sound as well.

Having said all that, I'm clearly not as impressed as a lot of the press out there. Glyder seems to be a band the press has jumped on board with. Yes, they write smart lyrics and are very very good musicians. I can almost guarantee they are much better live than recorded. I felt this recording was rather boring and lacking any real punch. Alot of, in fact, most of it can be blamed on the production. It doesn't jump out at you and certainly doesn't do the band justice, especially the drummer.

So, am I missing the point and looking for the next reincarnation of Whitesnake instead of Thin Lizzy? Probably, I admit I'm an Arena Rock fan that leans towards the N.W.O.B.H.M. instead of the Classic Rock of the 70's. However, that doesn't mean you should water down the sound of any band, and this sounds a bit watered down to me. In their day, Thin Lizzy were one of the heaviest bands around, especially the guitars. Bat Kinane and Tony Cullen are amazing players, there's no doubt about that, I would just prefer to hear them live I'm sure.

The music itself is very well written, they avoid a lot of the cliche's of rock, but in the process, a lot of the songs remain unmemorable. "Gamblers Blues" was one of the bright spots and a song that stuck with me. "Puppet Queen" also had some interesting moments, but other than that the recording remains a bit lifeless. I guess it frustrates me because I hear so much good potential from the band and some brilliant guitar work. I think in time the songs will come because they have a great foundation to build on.