Tesla
Into The Now

April 2004
Released: 2004, Sanctuary
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

It is such a cliché to talk about CD’s being ‘long-awaited’ but in this case it really applies. The announcement of the reunion several years ago had many fans wondering…when is the new CD coming out? Sure the big tour and the live album were nice but I wanted new material.



Here we are ten years since the last studio album and the band has not missed a beat. Tesla have delivered an elegant, sophisticated, classy, modern hard rock record.



There are some subtle changes however the band have seem to pick up from Bust A Nut but with slightly better songs. The guitar tone is a bit darker, denser and dare I say it overproduced. The bands long standing policy of ‘No Machines’ is absent on this disc as we have a fair amount of modern production going on courtesy of Michael Rosen. Now, I’m not really against that, so it doesn’t bother me, but this is certainly a different record from the acoustic tinged past offerings. There are even some classic instruments! A viola on Tesla album, who would have guessed?



Great cover, art, packaging and presentation with the Tesla sense of humour intact. The lyrics are deep and dynamic but not without a sense of fun as displayed on cuts like Mighty Mouse.



Overall this is quite a mellow, laid back affair. I knew deep down Tesla would not be able to return to the glory days of ‘Don’t Derock Me’ (with it’s six guitar solos, drum solo and Keith inhuman screaming) but this has just enough…barely, just barely enough grit and crunch to satisfy. I would liked to have seen two more balls-out rockers in favour of two ballads. It is almost as if they tried a little too hard maybe and left behind the spontaneous rock vibe in exchange for very well-crafted songs. Overall Tesla have delivered another winner and proven they are relevant in the now.