Tesla's 'Shock' - Album Review

Despite being one of the big names in the 'second division' of 1980s hard rock acts, California's Tesla are a band that I have only ever been a casual fan of. Calling them a second division band might be somewhat controversial, considering the band's fanbase and the love held by many for their classic early albums, the truth is Tesla never reached the heights of many of their peers. They never quite broke through, but nevertheless are an important name in the late 1980s hard rock scene. While many bands at the time were embracing the hair metal and AOR trends, Tesla stayed true to their bluesy hard rock roots. The band's sound was tough, riff-based, and focused around the gritty vocal style of frontman Jeff Keith - a far cry from the keyboard-drenched sound that often dominated rock radio at the time. The band's early albums were all fairly successful - with 1986's Mechanical Resonance and 1989's The Great Radio Controversy in particular often hailed as classics of the era. My knowledge of Tesla does not really extend beyond these two albums and, despite meaning to many times, I have not really ever found the time to explore their other works. Despite a few years in the late 1990s, Tesla have been a pretty active band. While they do not release albums with the regularity of some of their peers, they have still amassed a catalogue of eight studio albums - the eighth of which, Shock, is the subject of this review. Shock is the band's first album for five years, and follows on from the well-received Simplicity of 2014. Simplicity received good reviews all round, and I meant to investigate it but never did. This is why, when I saw that Tesla were preparing to release Shock, I immediately pre-ordered the album as I felt that this was the time I was going to properly immerse myself in the latest Tesla opus. On hearing a couple of the pre-release tracks however, it was clear that Shock was going to showcase a different Tesla. To say that this album has been divisive among the fanbase would be an understatement - as Shock sees the band taking a much poppier and polished path than they ever have before. Produced by Phil Collen (Girl; Def Leppard; Manraze), Shock sounds nothing like the Tesla classics of the past. The gritty, bluesy sound has largely gone and instead is replaced by something that would not have sounded out of place in the late 1980s. Many bands who sounded polished and poppy in the 1980s have moved towards a bluesier hard rock sound as they have gotten older, but it seem like Tesla are attempting to do the reverse! From the opening songs, it is clear that Collen has had a huge influence over the material and sound here. He is credited with co-writing every song on the album, and the production is certainly more akin to that cinematic Def Leppard harmony-drenched sound than Tesla's usual raw, in-your-face bluesy screech.

The album opens with You Won't Take Me Alive, a modern-sounding rocker with a simple guitar lead to drive everything forward and a solid groove that dominates. Keith, who sounds quite different to his usual self on many of the album's songs, has some of his trademark rasp here - and dominates the simple chorus which see the band's two guitarists locking into help propel that tight groove. There is certainly more of the band's typical sound here than on many of the album's other track, but the chorus has plenty of poppy overtones which makes it stand out. Def Leppard-esque vocal harmonies give it a big sound, but as a result it looses the grit that makes Tesla who they are. The guitar solo lacks the bluesy feel of their usual sound too, so this is a track that introduces the overall feel of Shock while retaining some of their core sound. Taste Like moves further towards a more polished territory, with Keith's vocals sounding less gruff than usual, while the guitars lay down a simple stuttering riff. There is a certain hypnotic quality to the song, but musically nothing really jumps out. There are no big guitar hooks to latch onto, but the chorus is quite a catchy one with more of the big vocal harmonies. The song's guitar solo is more like it though, with some dirty slide guitar thrown in to hark back to their earlier albums somewhat. It is only short however, so never dominates the song, but adds some power to the proceedings. We Can Save the World is a ballad, and opens with a simple piano melody - courtesy of bassist Brian Wheat - that forms the basis of the music. The verses are built around it, with the piano and string backing creating a fairly grand tapestry. Anyone who did not think Collen would have a big influence on the band's sound needs to listen to the chorus however, as it is easily the most Def Leppard-esque moment here. The vocals are pure Leppard, with the simple musical backing allowing the big vocal arrangements to shine. This is far removed from Tesla's classic sound as it is possible to get within a rock context really, but in my opinion it still works well. I imagine a lot of the band's fans will struggle with this sugary ballad however. The album's title track is next and this rocks things up a little more again. The opening drum machine beat sounds pretty tacky however, meaning that the song's intro loses it's power, but as the song builds up it starts to improve. The drum machine still remains for the verses however, which seems a strange decision, but when the band hits the chorus the song really opens out. The guitars are much rawer here, and Keith's vocals have some more of this throaty delivery. It is a simple chorus, but it feels more like classic Tesla which is reassuring. It does end up making the verses, with that awful drum machine, sound pretty weak however - ensuring that the title track is a pretty hit-and-miss affair.

Love is a Fire is a bit slower again, with a tight guitar lead making up the song's intro before a piano-dominated verse takes over. Despite the gentler overall sound of the song, this is one that actually sounds a little more like classic Tesla. The band have always written ballads, and this one feels like one that could have fitted on one of their earlier albums. Keith even sounds a bit more like his usual self throughout, with the choruses in particular seeing some of his rich, gravelly vocals adding some emotional weight. I particularly like the little acoustic guitar solo towards the end of the piece. The song does miss a true guitar solo in my opinion, but this acoustic section works well. This is one of the album's strongest songs in my opinion, and captures, for me at least, a bit more of the band's true spirit. California Summer Song is probably the opposite of the band's true sound, and ends up sounds extremely cheesy as a result. The Def Leppard feel is back here, but with none of the big hooks and melodies that make Def Leppard such a great band. The verses are a bland, acoustic drone; and the choruses never really the desired impact. There is not a melody in this song that ever reaches out and grabs me, and in fact the only strong point is the guitar solo - which is far to short to ever really get going. This is definitely one of the weakest offerings here, and shows why band's should not always look to change their sound! Forever Loving You is similar, but is a much more enjoyable song on account of the strong chorus. It is another ballad, but there is enough emotion injected into the piece to make it enjoyable. I also like the prominent use of strings here, which help to add depth and weight to the song. It does not sound anything like Tesla however, and sounds like a strange modern rock band that is trying to recapture some of that 1980s sound. There is nothing wrong with that for a modern band, but it ends up just sound strange from Tesla! By the time The Mission rolls around the album is really needing to rock again, and the song delivers somewhat. It has a slow build up, but the chorus is quite explosive with some rawer-sounding guitar riffs and a strong vocal performance from Keith. It lacks the punch of the band's classic tracks, but after a run of slower, more acoustic-based songs it certainly feels more powerful. There are some strong hooks here, and one of the album's better guitar solos. There is a lengthy acoustic-based section, which then bursts into a bluesy, dirty guitar solo that certainly sounds much rawer than much of the album. Many of the solos here are quite short too, so it is good to hear one that is quite long, and more akin to what we would expect from Tesla.

Tied to the Tracks is much more like it, and is based around a hollow drum beat from Troy Luccketta, and some bluesy guitar work from Frank Hannon and Dave Rude. With nearly every song on the album up to this point sounding pretty polished, it is refreshing to hear something heavier and rawer. There is plenty of slide guitar thrown in throughout for added bluesy attitude, and this is certainly a song that could have fitted on one of the band's earlier albums. Keith is full of raw power vocally, and the whole band have that loose, blues feel that has been sorely lacking elsewhere. As a result though, the song does really stand out here. It sounds like nothing else on the album, and showcases a mood that is absent elsewhere! Afterlife is more acoustic-based again, and features a fairly sparse verse with some percussive drumming from Luccketta and some vocal harmonies that sound more akin to country than hard rock. It does work quite well however, and the song is a strong one. The use of occasional mandolin throughout the verses helps to emphasise that country sound, and the chiming chorus is one that extremely easy on the ear. While the hooks here are not huge, this is a song that has grown on me over multiple listens to the album. It does not showcase the band's classic sound, but it is a very enjoyable song showing that the new Tesla sound has its benefits as well as its drawbacks. I Want Everything is a bit rockier, but has that more modern Def Leppard-esque sound rather than the heavy blues of the band's classic era. The verses are based around a simple guitar chug, and the choruses make use of a strong vocal hook. The vocals have those Def Leppard-esque harmonies again to create a big sound, and the guitar solo is another strong one. Both Hannon and Rude team up for it, making for a strong dual-guitar moment on an album that never really seems to celebrate the guitar as it probably should! Comfort Zone is the album's closing number, and it opens with a fuzzy Wheat bassline, which soon gives way to a very simple verse which is - initially - just a drum beat before Wheat once again joins in with his bass. Despite the strange, sparser sound I think this is actually quite a strong song. The choruses are pretty catchy, and the song has a punchy, anthemic feel that is missing throughout the album. While not exactly like their earlier work, it feels more akin to it simply because of how memorable it is. There are some excellent melodies here, and it ensures that the album ends on high note. Overall, Shock is a bit of a curate's egg of an album. There are a few really strong songs here, and a few that are downright bad. The rest feel hamstrung by the strong production and sound the band pursued with Collen throughout the album, and it would be great to hear them played in the band's more typical style. It is good for bands to experiment, but on the whole I feel this is an experiment that has not really worked for Tesla and I will be interested to see the direction they decide to take going forward.

The album was released on 8th March 2019 via Universal Music Enterprises. Below is the band's promotional video for Shock.