Someone hasn't left the closet in 30 years...
Dyslexic Love is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Tim Bertulli, a Canadian guitarist who clearly holds a great deal of respect for 20th century six-string idols such as Ritchie Blackmore, Keith Richards and Ace Frehley. Unfortunately for Bertulli, it takes a special strain of classic rock to stand out these days and "Closet Rock" does not wield the correct musical DNA to mount a convincing battle for superiority.
In the creation of this thirteen track release, Bertulli has the support of fellow axeman Klement Danda, but it appears that this collaboration has done little but reinforce the emphasis on classic rock. To Bertulli's credit, the album has been well-crafted and does not suffer from over-production that seems to plague modern music. He is quite clearly a multi-talented musician and has been able to use his production skills to complement his performance and composition abilities. Understandably, the Canadian guitarist places a considerable portion of emphasis on the his instrumental parts and not only does the sound seem imbalanced, but the leads do not always seem to gel harmonically, resulting in quite a jarring sound. The drums have such a level of rhythmic precision that they come across as artificial; edited carefully to ensure that every stroke hits with perfection. This is particularly noticeable when double-kick-drum-focussed fills explode out of nowhere in a style completely out of character from the music being generated by Bertulli's guitar extravaganza.
The album does occasionally stray into more stimulating territory, with the middle 8 of opener 'We Ain't In Kansas' being a good example of this. However, these moments of promise are often juxtaposed with bizarre occurrences, such as creature-like vocal processing, that just make you scratch your head and wonder exactly what is being sought here. Tracks such as 'Carry On' introduce an acoustic edge, which acts as a welcome inclusion, but is not enough to convince Bertulli to lay off the self-indulgent electric leads.
Had "Closet Rock" been released in the 1980s, it may well have been a well-received, contemporary contender for periodic fame. However, in this day and age, it feels painfully dated and takes a real amount of effort to endure. Should you be a die-hard fan of guitar-centric classic rock from times long gone, then this may be a pleasant little discovery. If this does not sound appealing to you, then you may wish to leave this in the closet to gather dust.