The Players:
Terry Bozzio: an incredible drummer with melodic playing inclinations. Most well-known for his playing with Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, and Jeff Beck
Tony Levin: world-renowned bassist with a resume too long to list...all the same, some significant artists/bands that highlight his career: King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment, John Lennon, Alice Cooper
Steve Stevens: insane, high-energy guitarist, featured in acts such as Billy Idol, Michael Jackson (remember that solo on Dirty Diana?), The Atomic Playboys, and the Top Gun Soundtrack (for which he won a Grammy)

The Project:
The fantastical grouping of Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, and Steve Stevens for an instrumental project was essentially a serendipitous accident: Bozzio's manager had encouraged him to do a studio project in the "off" season (when demand for session drummers is lower) to keep his finances steady. A mutual friend introduced him to guitarist Steve Stevens; Steve demonstrated some flamenco-style playing in which he was interested, only to find that this was also a style to which Terry was partial! Terry decided immediately to include Stevens in his project. The two began to list bass players with whom they would be interested in playing, and Tony Levin was right at the top of the list. Of course, they had dismissed the idea, knowing that Tony is one of the busiest musicians on the planet, but amazingly enough Tony was not only intrigued but agreed to become part of the project almost immediately! However, this also created a challenge; since Levin had only four days in his schedule in which he could participate in the project. And so the adventure began...

The Sonic Experience:
If one were to flip the album over and merely look at the song list, he/she might be inclined to believe that this collection is an EP...and nothing could be further from the truth. While Black Light Syndrome boasts a mere seven tracks, it clocks in at over 67 minutes! That means the songs on this album are substantial; it also means that if your attention span is limited to the length of the average Sesame Street skit, this album is probably beyond your capabilities to appreciate.

Given a mere four days to write and record all of the material for this record, one might think that the result would sound rushed and sloppy. On the contrary, it is well-conceived, written, and expertly executed -- a tribute to the virtuoso talent level involved herein. One of the best things about the album is, in fact, the "natural" feel of the sound quality. Just like jazz musicians used to always make records (and sometimes still do), all of the players were in the same room, and the music was captured "live." No punch-ins were used, and almost no overdubs (there were a couple of additional guitar lines added sporadically at a later date). The result is a well-fused and tight sound, which makes the listener think of the band as a whole as opposed to concentrating as much on individual members. The short time period involved seems to have generated under-pressure brilliance that we see from a mere handful of artists every couple of years or so.

The writing is jam-based, but stays surprisingly away from becoming loopy and directionless. Essentially, the members created ideas through jams, and then refined them to a fairly tight overall structure, still leaving room for some additional improvisation when inspiration struck. This methodology created an album full of music that feels spontaneous without falling into the trap of completely homogeneous sound that catches many of the traditional jam bands. In short, these songs all have identity. Not only that, but sound created on each one seems to fit its title nicely.

The Songs:
Being that there are only seven tracks on this disc, and that each one is an instrumental, a track-by-track analysis is appropriate in order to get a true feeling for the vibe of each song.

The Sun Road: This song is rumored to be one of the first to be fleshed out during the jam sessions. It features some interesting chromatic scale runs early on, and the first four minutes or so definitely highlight Steve Stevens' guitar work. Bozzio and Levin stay steady and in the background until about the five-minute mark, where they start to experiment with different rhythms...at that point, Levin starts on some swelling chords that lead to an interesting bass line, taking over the melody, all the while being accented by Middle-Eastern sounding guitar chords as sonic garnish from Stevens. Then, around 7:00 (only the halfway point in this song!), Bozzio gets thunderous with the double bass, and then starts in on a variety of bizarre drums runs. Levin comes back to the forefront with the strangest, low-register bass part I've heard in some time; it sounds like he is taking a rabid rhinoceros out for a walk! By 10:00, Bozzio is going absolutely crazy on the kit, throwing everything at the listener possible for almost two minutes solid. But, another dramatic change is in store, for at 11:30, Stevens brings a Spanish guitar sound into the song, and the Latin feel (from all three players) pervades the song until its fourteen-minute conclusion. Whew!

Dark Corners: Starting out in a decidedly more aggressive stance, Dark Corners develops an immediate rock riff that smacks of Led Zeppelin -- in the best way possible. This pattern continues with the players trading off until the three-minute mark, where Stevens rips into a lightning-fingered (if somewhat self-indulgent) solo that sounds like a bluesy alien on crystal meth. The band goes back to the pattern for a bit, then at 4:00, Bozzio changes the theme by altering the drum feel, continuing this new theme until 6:15. Here, the whole band plays aggressively, creating a huge wall of sound that feels like it will collapse at any second, but somehow manages to transition perfectly back into the original Zeppelinesque riff from the beginning of the song, which runs to completion, punctuated by supersonic fills by Bozzio.

Duende: This song features a Latin feel throughout, and is one of my personal favorites on the album. It takes a while for this song to get fired up, but be patient, as it is well worth the time. The main theme gets started around the 1:20 mark. It is a pretty little progression that leaves lots of space for interesting fills and runs, and the melody trades off between guitar and bass throughout the song. The whole thing is set in 3/4 time, giving it a nice swing feel. Steve sticks to his Spanish guitar for the duration of the tune, and the band always keeps things centered around the main theme. Tasty stuff. (Sidenote: from what I understand, duende means "goblin" in English.)

Black Light Syndrome: The band starts this track up with strange feedback and hums, then quickly adjusts until the song becomes a sultry blues number around the 1:00 mark. The melody is not rushed (as blues should never be), and is expertly played by Stevens. Levin takes over for a while around 2:40, carrying the melody while Bozzio primarily plays some very nice cymbal patterns and Stevens adds open chords for texture. At 5:20, the chording is still blues-oriented, but it takes on a harder-edged, metallic feel for a bit, then slips back into the earlier blues pattern set at the beginning of the song. The track drones to a quiet close with Levin providing a melody over a pattern from Bozzio and Stevens that straddles the line between blues and jazz. Nice.

Falling In Circles: An opening theme begins in this song with the very first chord, and indeed, the tune does feel cyclical in nature. The immediate impression is a sort of calm mystery, perhaps the feeling of the beginning of a free-fall during a high-altitude skydiving session...the feeling of soaring, floating. Then, between 3:15 and 4:00, the band begins to slip some increasingly minor chording into the tune; and then things get outright dramatic at 4:20! This is where the listener will imagine that the real action is taking place -- falling at high speed, performing stunts -- all of the last maneuvers before the chute must be deployed. The cord is pulled, the parachute opens...and at 6:45, a new mellow section begins. It is reminiscent of Joe Satriani's quieter work: tapped chords in interesting rhythms. Then, as the skydiver glides back toward the ground, the opening theme comes back into play with a minute to go to finish out the track.

Book Of Hours: This tune starts out with a "talking" bass part from Levin and nice acoustic guitar work from Stevens. A simple rock-based melody begins; it is calming, gentle, and thoughtful. At 2:00, a new, picked melody on guitar begins this appealing section, and Bozzio used his cymbals almost like chimes, which is an excellent accent. At 4:00, we are given more Spanish-influenced rhythms and riffing with a sense of quiet restraint. By the 6:30 mark, the rock feel returns, and soon the earlier theme from the beginning of the song with it...but then the Spanish guitar starts to play over the top of the original theme! Slick! The song then alternates between a rock and Spanish feel to its completion.

Chaos/Control: This song certainly starts out in chaos...Levin is smacking and pulling the hell out of the Chapman Stick, Stevens is creating an ear-splitting screech on his guitar, and Bozzio is seemingly in some theoretical time signature...and then the whole thing morphs into a nice, straightforward 4/4 rock melody. The guitar feel is sort of a sexy heavy metal sound -- there is definitely a sleaze factor involved here. At 2:30, the song turns to a blues-rock pattern, restrained and tasty, then it quickly becomes funk-jazz at the 3:00 mark. Stevens starts soloing at 4:30, and while it certainly sounds like a rock solo, the jazz rhythm is still going on in the background, provided by Bozzio and Levin. Stevens shreds a hole in the sky through 5:30, then the overall funk-jazz feel returns with some strange syncopated rhythms to become, once again, a 4/4 rock song again just before the 7:00 mark. Now, however, the riff has that 1970's prog-rock-a-la-Kansas sound to it that carries the song until it ends as it began, in a huge, chaotic swirl of sound.

Final Impression:
While I found this album appealing from the very first listen, I have also noticed that I appreciate the towering talent involved in its creation more with each listen. No matter how many times I spin this disc, something new is discovered each time, making me reverse a few seconds after exclaiming "what in the world was THAT?" There is an intentional focus on song and melody, but the jam-oriented creation process also gives the album great energy and a feeling of real ingenuity. For fans of instrumental music that stirs the intellect while remaining foot-tappingly assertive in its melody, Black Light Syndrome is a must-have.

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Track Listing:

01. Sun Road, The
02. Dark Corners
03. Duende
04. Black Light Syndrome
05. Falling In Circles
06. Book Of Hours
07. Chaos / Control

My 10-point scale: 9/10 ... brilliant work!

Bozzio Levin Stevens has also released a follow-up album called Situation Dangerous. Prog fans would benefit by checking it out as well.

Great Music to Play While: actually listening to the music

Recommended: Yes