Carl Sentance first came to public notice fronting leather clad Welsh hopefuls Persian Risk, a band who with their black and shiny stage duds and blonde/brunette twin guitar attack, coupled with a knack for a melodic metal chorus, might have been best described as ‘Priestesque’…

That was in the eighties; Keep your finger on the fast forward button and Carl is the lead singer for uber-keyboardist Don Airey and grizzled Scottish rockers Nazareth now, but here on his new solo album he presents a record that contains songs with titles such as Judas, Electric Eye and Battlecry…

So, is Carl still Priestesque?

Actually, no. There’s only one song on Electric Eye that comes even a little close to fitting that bill, the glorious Priest-meets-Motörhead stomp of Overload; Unsurprisingly it’s the best track on the album. The rest of the record, it seems, serves to remind the listener just what a versatile vocalist and songwriter Sentance is. Alright is reminiscent of a less polished take on the Brit AOR sound of Vega, whilst the title track mashes up sounds that might cause the listener to imagine what might have happened if David Bowie and Ozzy Osbourne contrived to form a band together sounding a little like Jane’s Addiction…

New single California Queen trespasses on the territory Glenn Hughes has made his own in the twenty first century, whilst Nervous Breakdown sees our hero exercising his inner Chili Pepper.

If all this sounds a little overwhelming, at first listen it is. Sentance tries to cover so much ground here that it all seems a little unfocussed until you give yourself time to become familiar with the songs. What binds it all together is the voice, and Sentance’s little vocal tics (he’s a big fan of uttering ‘alright’ a la Ozzy at the end of lines) which remind you that this is an accomplished, experienced tradesman rather than some sort of do-it-all Karaoke hero.

Of course, Sentinel Daily readers would prefer if the man keeps it to straight and narrow heaviness like the afore-mentioned Overload and the excellent Exile, but in the end it’s the variety and freshness of approach here that sets Electric Eye apart from the rump of old timers currently doing the rounds. Give it a try, discard the stuff you don’t care for, sure – but please do give it a try. You’ll be pleased you did!

Electric Eye releases on November 19th.