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Persian Risk: Who Am I/Once A King (Reissue)
Carl Sentance Persian Risk - Who Am I / Once A King (Reissue) Album Art Work

Persian Risk: Who Am I/Once A King

Melodic Hard Rock
4.5/5.0

Website
AFM Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 20.11.2019 | Released: 22.11.2019

I'll try not to make this review sound too much like a press pitch. For the short version, Escape Music is reissuing the latest and last two Persian Risk albums, Who Am I (2012) and Once A King (2014), which features current Nazareth vocalist Carl Sentance. Essentially, if you missed those two albums, now's the time grab this double CD set. Each CD comes with the original tunes from the original release, but each CD also includes two bonus tracks from Sentance's 2009 solo album Mind Doctor. These four songs were not included in my reissue review EPK. However, I did find a video for the title track, which you can view below.

Carl Sentance - Click For Larger Image

Carl Sentance

To dig a little deeper into the history of Persian Risk, it was originally formed by guitarist Phil Campbell, who would eventually play guitar for Motorhead for more than 30 years. Carl Sentance replaced the original vocalist Jon Deverill in 1980. Over the course of the next 30 years, Sentance would be the principal catalyst behind the band's several reincarnation.

To summarize the current Persian Risk sound found on these two albums, I simply call it very guitar-forward, melodic hard rock with modest to significant (Who Am I) metal edge. You can hear the early NWoBHM roots, but Persian Risks wraps their tunes with more rock groove and catchy AOR accessibility. Additionally, melody and harmony are at a premium, the rhythm section is quite forward with strong bass lines, and the guitar solos are vibrant and roaring. And to note, Persian Risk does not sound like Nazareth. With these things in mind, here are some of my favorite song picks. From Who Am I: Who Am I, In My Life, I Feel Free, and the jazzy, Hammond-laced, I Thought It Was You. From Once A King, perhaps a bit heavier than its predecessor: Asylum, Battlecry, Fist Of Fury, and the gallop and groove of Wasteland. Suffice to say, both albums feature well-crafted catchy songs with exceptional musicianship, and easily recommended.


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The Bottom Line

Escape Music is reissuing the latest and last two Persian Risk albums, Who Am I and Once A King, which features current Nazareth vocalist Carl Sentance. Essentially, if you missed those two albums, now's the time grab this double CD set. Easily recommended.

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