Somewhere back in the mid- to late-Eighties, whilst enjoying an unhealthy diet of the recent rock favourites, such as Iron Maiden, Dio, Guns n’ Roses and Metallica, the band Emerald were frozen in time with a great idea for an album locked firmly in their minds. Over twenty years later, Emerald were awoken and led into the studio to record their debut album ‘Master I Am’, and here it is.
The above statement may be a preposterous falsehood, but you get the point. After listening to the first few minutes of album opener ‘The Phantom’, it becomes apparent that Emerald seem blissfully unaware that the dawnings of grunge and alternative rock music ever occurred at all. So if you are the type of person who likes their music to move swiftly with the times, complete avoidance of this album would probably be advisable. However, if you enjoy head-banging along to your favourite rock anthems from yesteryear and you hold a strong belief that the guitar was intended for playing mammoth solos and not three-chord punk riffs, then listen in.
Despite the above comments, ‘Master I Am’ is not necessarily a bad album. Emerald have got everything you’d expect from a good, classic metal band – wailing guitar solos, warbling vocals, thunderous drums and, above all, great big riffs. Also, this isn’t the kind of tongue-in-cheek metal revival that you may have heard from the likes of Steel Panther in recent years, so don’t expect any laughs. These guys mean everything they do.
The talents on display throughout ‘Master I Am’ prove that Emerald are more than just your average pub rock band. After the shameless face-melting of the opening two tracks, comes a track called ‘Help Me Believe’, which begins with a Metallica-style guitar intro that is straight out of the dusty streets of a Spaghetti Western. It’s a fairly decent song, if you can force yourself to stop expecting the chorus from ‘Hotel California’ to kick in.
Elsewhere on the album are the title track, which features some moderately ridiculous soloing, and ‘Broken’, a song that stands out from the rest with its piano intro and female backing vocals and is probably the closest thing on the album to a cheesy ballad.
Emerald may not be rubbing shoulders with Mercury Prize nominees anytime soon. However, it seems unlikely that they are expecting anything more than to be described as a good rock band playing classic-style metal as it should be played. If their intended audience is the same people who have been enjoying these sounds for the past twenty-five years, then they deserve every piece of appreciation they can get. They may even be fortunate enough to gain a few younger fans with a fondness for Old School rock along the way. Unfortunately, the world hasn’t been waiting around for this kind of revival. Emerald are a great band in many ways – they’re just twenty years too late.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
Despite the above comments, ‘Master I Am’ is not necessarily a bad album. Emerald have got everything you’d expect from a good, classic metal band – wailing guitar solos, warbling vocals, thunderous drums and, above all, great big riffs. Also, this isn’t the kind of tongue-in-cheek metal revival that you may have heard from the likes of Steel Panther in recent years, so don’t expect any laughs. These guys mean everything they do. 
