Having re-united with original Lynch Mob vocalist Oni Logan would have been enough to spark comparisons to their debut cd, but for Lynch himself to describe Smoke and Mirrors as "the record we should have put out as a follow up to Wicked Sensation," puts this cd in an impossible, no-win situation. The former guitar God has been, at best ... incosistent, over the last 20 years, so fortunately, most people will take what he says with a grain of salt. Because as good as this cd is, there is not a single song on this album that could follow the legendary lick of their debut's title track. To be fair, that is a tough slot for anyone to follow, but the classic debut was built on riff after riff with the guitar completely in your face and there was just no doubt that it was a guitarist's album. This cd has some really good guitar playing, but it is subtle by comparison. It's not even first in the mix. This sounds more like an Oni Logan solo album with a good guitarist doing some impressive playing in the background. And that is not even a bad thing! Logan sounds great, Brides of Destruction drummer, Coogan does a fine job, and they recruited the best bass player in the business in Marco Mendoza. So the cd is very good. Lynch himself sounds more on track than he has in decades, but to be clear, this is no Wicked Sensation. Knowing that in advance will help you appreciate this cd for what it is, instead of what it isn't. --
Scott