Around a year ago I had interviewed Oliver Palotai, keyboard maestro with Kamelot and Doro Pesch, who had also done a spell playing with Uli Jon Roth. And there was only one word Oliver had to describe Uli: “Genius”. This is also the same adjective used by whoever has heard the German grandmaster play….well, at least from those whose opinion I am aware of. Independent from all these eulogies, may I introduce you, the esteemed reader, to a breathtaking masterpiece - “Under a Dark Sky”.
Some background on the concept of this album might go some way in better grasping the circumstances of its birth. Following a career playing with the Scorpions in their first incarnation, Uli had felt the need to embark on a solo career as a vehicle to express his burgeon creativity. In the late 1980s he conceived his ‘Sky Orchestra’ concept of which “Under a Dark Sky” forms part.
With albums like this it becomes easy to understand why he influenced so many respected contemporary guitarists, such as one Ynvar Lannerbach (better known as Yngwie J. Malmsteen). Despite his influence, many fans of the Metal scene are still unaware of the existence of Uli’s career. To be honest his releases are notoriously hard to get hold of but Uli seems to have been so unbothered by commercial success. Sure enough, when I searched his official website (at time of writing) for info on “Under a Dark Sky” I found…nothing. Nada. Rien. Niente. Frankly I don’t get it.
Back to the qualities of this album - it’s not just the orchestrations and their fusion with Rock that makes the release so special. Take ‘Light & Shadows’ for example - a song fusing Psychedelic Rock with Classical music - this song has an emotional intensity that makes you shiver. Amongst the musicians that contributed to “Under a Dark Sky” are vocalist Mark Boals (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, currently with Royal Hunt) and Michael Éhre (drummer with Metallium). All musicians give a top-rate performance.
Bottom line - don’t let this one slip away.
