UFO

Covenant

Better than they say! Inconsistant but worthy!

Review Score:

(8/10)
Everyone seems to want to compare this to "Walk on Water," which is indeed a better album. That being said, we can now discuss "Covenant" intelligently.

Gone is drummer Andy Parker, replaced by veteran journeyman Aynsley Dunbar. Paul Raymond (keys, guitars) is also gone, which is a shame -- but remember, he wasn't an original member of the group. UFO started as a four-man outfit. So frankly, for me, these changes are negligable.

"Covenent" is somewhat inconsistant in my mind. It contains a few of UFO's best songs -- it also contains some of their worst. And while the production values here aren't as strong as "Walk on Water," they are not nearly as bad as some here are making them out to be.

Consider "Fool's Gold." This is UFO at its finest and reminds me a little bit of "Love to Love." It starts out as a gentle ballad with some of singer Phil Mogg's most touching lyrics. Soon, however, as is UFO's want, the song changes tempo and becomes a balls-to-the-wall rocker -- led by some of guitarist Michael Schenker's most incindiary work.

I also like "Serenade," which features a great riff -- catchy, yet original. Phil sings the hell out of this and I noticed he sounds as good as he did back in the "Force It" days. Check out Schenker's solo here -- sonically stunning.

The opening track is awesome as well -- "Love is Forever." This one is classic-sounding UFO and I could imagine them opening their show with this bone crusher.

There are plenty of missteps -- as other critics have pointed out. "Cowboy Joe" is pointless and forgettable, and "The World and His Dog" is a real head scratcher and a disappointing way to close out the CD.

Of course, there is the second CD -- a live collection of songs from their last tour. This is terrific... sonicly crisp and well mixed. While the older songs ("Mother Mary," "Let It Roll," etc.) are not quite up to "Strangers in the Night" standards (hey, what is?) -- the disc does contain several live versions of tunes from "Walk on Water" and that alone makes this a "must have" for all UFO fans. Specifically, it has scorching renditions of "Venus" and "Pushed to the Limit."

This is a very fine 2-CD set, and if you're a big UFO fan, or fan of 70s-style hard rock 'n' roll, it's a must for your collection. But because it is a 2-CD set, the price is a little higher than it normally would be and that may be what is really ticking off some of the critics here.

Ignore those hang-wringing naysayers and give this one a chance. Play it on a high-end system and play it loud. You'll be happy that you bought it and annoy your neighbors all at the same time. Now, that's rock 'n' roll!

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