Dan Patlansky

Dan Patlansky is smoking hot at the moment and after the success of ‘Dear Silence Thieves’ last year I was expecting a repeat of what he did there but if anything, he has ramped up the power and the emotive content of his music while delving deeper into the classic styles he has been brought up on – the album is a monster.

Patlansky’s trademark battered Strat gets hammered on tracks such as the opener ‘Run’ while even on a straight Blues such as ‘Poor Old John’ the power is unmerciful.

There is much about him that reminds me of Phillip Sayce but he creates some fine melodies as well as the riffery and he solos like a demon but he can be subtle too and ‘Loosen Up The Grip’ shows his heart as well as his muscles – real festival material this one – and beautiful heartwrenching guitar too.

“I think this is possibly my most accomplished album to date,” says Patlansky. “The new album draws from all my influences from Audioslave, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jim Hendrix, Rival Sons and beyond. We’ve continued the same mix of rock, funk and blues that we mastered on last year’s Dear Silence Thieves album. Theo Crous, who produced Silence Thieves, has produced Introvertigo, and I think he’s done a stellar job.

“Introvertigo describes a feeling I very often experience being an introvert,” says Patlansky. “The concept behind the album is very much about my own insecurities. It’s about being an introvert in the music industry, my experiences in the industry and life in general. Even though the songs on the album have different topics and are not directly about being an introvert. It comes from an introvert’s point of view.”

For a man who live his life on stage playing to baying crowds every night that might seem like an odd statement but there is a definite feeling of looking inwards on the songs.

He does a thing that has been around for many years but his playing is as good as anyone around today and this is one of the best Blues/Rock albums I’ve heard this year.