Customer Reviews

Evolution

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

when i first bought this cd, my decision was based upon the fact that former black sabbath singer tony martin was on it. tony sings on about half of the material, while ian parry sings on the rest. i did'nt,(and still don't), know anything about misha, but once i heard his playing i was hooked. misha's got and excellent technique, along the lines of guitarist dario mollo of "the cage", (which also features tony martin as singer), and "voodoo hill", (w/ glenn hughes on vocals). "evolution" is more like "the cage" than like "voodoo hill"... not just because of martin's singing but also musically... it's similar. there's plenty to latch onto w/ this disc, musically, all the musicians just kick it up to 11, and for guitar fans, misha is on fire, but also knows when to hold back. martin sounds great as always and while parry is not exactly what i would concider a singer on the level of tony martin... he does a fine job on his own songs. this album is a good combo of heavy riffs, well constructed songs, lyrics that range from decent to great, arrangements that are also great, and this album, while not a concept album, to me has the feel of one. it really moves the way a story does... and not too many albums push in that way. the production here is also excellent... you can really hear everything... all the instruments and voices come through w/out over powering each other. stand out tracks include, "strangers", "ready or not" and "here i am" all sung by matin... "don't let go" and the excellent "can't hold me" both sung by parry. i guess my only complaint is that tony does'nt sing on the entire thing, not to take a thing away from parry, i'm just a huge tony martin fan. misha did record an "evolution II", on which, i believe,ian parry sings all the tracks. and i've also heard that misha has recorded a third album as well. for fans of good guitar playing and good songs, giv evolution a chance... and if you like this, check out "the cage" or "voodoo hill" w/ guitarist dario mollo... you won't be disappointed either on of these two guitar wiz kids!

Misha Calvin might not be the world's most known guitar player but he can sure handle the six string and this album from 1993 is very good. Tony Martin (Black Sabbath, Rondinelli, Empire, Mollo/Martin) is the singer on most of the songs. It's melodic hard rock/heavy metal of very high quality and the singing as well as the song writing is so good. Just listen to "Stranger", "Ready or not", "Put a little faith in me" and "Reaper" and you'll see that this album can compete with almost anything in the line of melodic heavy metal. But please, be careful if you stumble upon the follow up album (can't recall its title) and think you've hit jackpot, because it is absolutely nothing in comparison to "Evolution". On the follow up album, Tony Martin is no longer the singer - I found it, heard it and sold it.

This album is a real treasure for those who like crafty guitar playing along with super melodic songs that feature two of the best hard rock vocalists in business. Both Tony Martin (ex Black Sabbath) and Ian Parry (Elegy) make guest appearances here and Misha Calvin is the guy who steals the show with his incredible talent that can be immediately heard with the strong opener "Strangers".
Smart use of keyboards provides a spark and acoustic guitars with a silky smooth voice of Tony Martin complements the song.
Next comes "Ready or Not", which is a little faster and more straight forward. The listener is definitely bought by now as the song reveals the huge chorus and a pompous guitar solo.
Things slow down with a third track that is the ballad "Put a Little Faith in Me" that showcases the abilities of Tony Martin. A Great tune indeed.
"Valhalla" is a short instrumental that grows into another monster track sung by Martin. "Reaper" starts off with a killer guitar riff that carries the tune in a best Hard Rock tradition and it makes you wonder why you have never heard this one before.
The rest of the songs on the album are not as flashy, yet still carry the atmosphere of the earlier tracks. "Don't let Go" and Can't hold Me" (both sung by Ian Parry) are typical AOR tunes that sound nice. Another instrumental "Evolution" is simply beautiful. Combination of acoustic guitar and backing keyboards develop jaw-dropping melody that stays in your head for hours.
"Here I am" sees the last Tony Martin's performance here leaving for keyboards to take control over the song, which is also nice. And finally, another ballad and this is where Ian Parry shows that he can sing. Another huge chorus make this song so unforgettable and leaves a listener wanting for more.
Overall, this is more than just a solid album; this is a true classic. There is not too many albums I can recall that offer this much for a melodic hard rock fan, even though this one is probably the most unknown one

this is an anonymous guitar player but i think everyone should know him ! he is an excellent player - he can shred but he can play slow and he reaches your heart... Stranges , Reaper , Valhalla are AWESOME. but every song is great in this album - 5 stars from OPHIRU !!!

Misha Calvin is a yuguslavian guitar player , unknown , but when i heard this cd i was amazed !

The cd has good lyrics wrapped with great guitar stuff , very catchy , easy to hear , great rhythm section and also some fast and furious guitar solos.

My favortie tracks are the rock ballad "put a little faith in me" , Instrumentals "Valhalla" and "Evolution" , and of course the intro song "strangers".

The singers Ian Parry and Tony Martin are doind great job here.

I am sure you will enjoy this CD !

Originally released in 1993, Evolution was the debut album from Yugoslavian guitarist Misha Calvin. I had never heard of Calvin before, and only picked this disc out of the clearance bin when I saw the Majestic logo on the back. Much to my surprise, Evolution features one of my favorite vocalists - former Black Sabbath frontman Tony Martin. Elegy's Ian Parry also contributes vocals to a few songs.

For all its flashy guitar work (and Calvin is a very impressive guitarist), Evolution is a fairly straightforward melodic rock album along the lines of Bad English and Rainbow. Sure, "Reaper" is a harder, almost metal song, but most of these songs are very polished, very melodic, very keyboard-driven, and would have been appropriate for AOR radio. It's interesting to hear Martin, whose voice I associate with the sinister Headless Cross and powerful Tyr, singing love songs like "Ready or Not" and "Put a Little Faith In Me," but he does a great job here. Parry does a solid job as well.

This was a very pleasant surprise. I'd recommend Evolution to Tony Martin fans, fans of the late `80s melodic rock sound and fans of virtuoso guitar playing. If you've ever wondered what Tony Martin might sound like singing for Rainbow, Evolution may be the answer!

Edition Notes: Majestic reissued Evolution in 2004. The reissue features digitally remastered sound as well as a hefty six bonus tracks - all demos recorded during the Evolution sessions and featuring Tony Martin vocals.

This is one fantastic melodic rock cd. Not only are the songs incredibly melodic and loaded with good, memorable hooks, but the musicianship is outstanding, too. This guitarist, Misha Calvin, plays as good as Yngwie or Impelletteri, yet he is almost completely unknown! Also, you have the ultra- powerful, superhuman ranged vocals of ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin featuring on most of these songs. The other vocalist is no slouch, either. An excellent, excellent cd- rock solid from start to finish. If you like melodic metal/hard rock and AOR, your in for a very good time here- it really dosen't get much better than this!