I’ll fess up from the start-  I am a huge fan of Jake E Lee and quite the happy camper since his return from a twenty odd year self imposed exile short of the occasional surprise appearance (a solo disc, his Retraced covers album, and guest spots on various records).  All that said, I’ll admit that nothing from this hiatus fully grabbed me like his two Ozzy discs (Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin) or his most excellent Badlands releases.  Granted, what I did hear was essentially very good but I felt there was more in his bag of tricks like those on display during his ’80s/early ’90s heyday.  Even the first Red Dragon Cartel disc (first post hiatus platter) had its moments, but…  there was still something missing and I got a little worried.  Had one of my favorite guitarists lost his mojo?

Fear not… the release in late 2018 of Patina has eased my mind and is easily Jake’s best work since the posthumous release of Dusk, Badlands’ last disc featuring the late, great Ray Gillen on vocals.  There is a certain fire and spirit on Patina that shines much brighter than anything released since that early 90s period-  not that any of the playing was necessarily bad but it felt more like a man just having fun noodling around and searching for a new direction by doing a little bit of tinkering with his existing formula. But something about this latest disc has struck gold; an excellent patch of songs that offer hints at his glory days yet sounding much more vibrant and colorful overall, possibly due to how well his ideas mesh with a core group of like minded individuals rather than the mishmash of  players from the first RDC record.   While that 2015 record had its moments and featured some good to great tunes and cool performances, its range of guest singers made the disc feel more like a solo effort than anything else.  However, this record is definitely RDC Mk II and features the same core unit of bassist Anthony Esposito, drummer Phil Varone, and returning singer Darren James Smith across all ten tracks, making the entire record feel like a unified front and full on band effort than the debut.  Also, bringing along veteran Max Norman to mix and engineer Patina was a stroke of genius-  Norman’s clear and wide open old school mix highlights various tones and textures via Jake’s playing but also avoids the muddy bottom end that allows for a clear distinction between bass, drums, and guitar, offering up a great sounding record as well.

So let’s dive into the tunes-  lead cut “Speedbag” is an early grabber; Jake starting off the song with a chunky, singularly repetitive riff that alternates between solid crunch and sweet rhythmic lines during the verse and washes of phased strums during the slightly psychedelic tinged chorus.  Come lead time he builds up a little tension with some sliding rhythms and some well placed notes; nothing too over the top but fitting well within the constructs of the song.  Esposito and Varone are solid; nothing flashy other than Esposito thickening up the rhythm as he often duplicates the guitar riff.  Vocalist Smith also  is in good form as he stays strong and steady during the verses and adopts a mellower tone during the chorus, showing off smoother vocal chops than what was highlighted on his handful of cuts on the first RDC disc.

But enough about cut #1, what about the rest of the disc?  Next up is lead single “Havana”, sporting a wobbler of a Black Sabbath tinged riff akin to “Hole In The Sky” but much, much bluesier and open as it comes out with a bang and oscillates between massive swing and nasty aural punch and is likely the heaviest riff on a disc of great ones.  Jake’s got two leads on this one, first is nice and dirty in tone and a bit more aggressive; the second one even more tenacious with some spirited bite and snarl as he tosses out some slippery runs and distorted vibrato.  The rest of the band is in fine fettle but this tune is clearly one for the guitarists out there and was wisely selected as the intro cut to this disc as it highlight’s Jake’s chops to great effect.

The next handful of cuts on the disc hearken a bit back to the guitarist’s Badlands days-  certainly not dead ringers from the catalog but matching some of that band’s rhythmic complexity (the slightly off kilter riff to “Crooked Man”, bluesy slide work in “The Luxury Of Breathing”, the funky groove of “Bitter”, reverbed hex from “A Painted Heart”) but adding a heap of Hendrixy cool with hints of Sabbath doom and maybe a touch of Varone’s former band Saigon Kick’s alternametal chops.  “Luxury” is a really cool tune that features a dirty, slurry riff that hangs deep in the pocket and features some dreamy vocals from Smith, sounding a bit like an outtake from the first Badlands disc akin to the hazy “Seasons” crossed with the understated menace of “Streets Cry Freedom”.  And “Bitter” could fit on that band’s second disc, featuring a groovalicious riff and subtly cool vocal from Darren Smith topped off with one nasty, effects laden solo that sounds a bit Troweresque in tone but features plenty of slippery licks from the Jake E. Lee color palette.

As for other cuts some of the tones may be a bit darker and more experimental for Jake fans; take something like the grungy intro to “Punchclown” that leans a bit towards Alice In Chains before settling into a steady downtuned riff or even the dirtier, slightly Middle Eastern vibes with the occasional jazzy motif of “My Beautiful Mess”, where both songs are aural treats but vibe wise are a bit removed from the man’s vast catalog.  Or how about the twisting rhythms found on “Chasing Ghosts”?  At one point a semi-throbbing militaristic romp segues into a psychedelic chorus that eventually turns into an odd, almost atonal melange of skronk with a slight u-turn to mid 60s Who before turning back to that dreamy haze to wrap up the song.   And finally, toss in the almost Doors cum Santana meets new wave surf rock romp through “Ink And Water” and you’ve got a plethora of soundscapes for the more adventurous aural connoisseurs out there.

Be forewarned, this is nowhere near his Ozzy work or even close to Badlands 2.0 but that is EXACTLY why this disc is so good…  there is a far-ranging variety of fresh sounds on display but nothing too far “out there” to turn anyone away; matter of fact, you’ll likely be spending time trying to pick out Jake’s influences or hearing bits and pieces that sound like something you’ve heard before yet just when you think you’ve got it, the tune swings wildly in other directions and you lose that train of thought.  There is SO MUCH killer guitar work on this disc to make the gearheads happy- so many great tones, so many cool tricks, so many great riffs, and so much going on that you often don’t catch on the first or even second listen.  You’ve got your radio ready rock tunes here (“Havana” and “Bitter” are my two favorites with “Ink And Water” another fave) but enough ear candy experimentation elsewhere that you don’t dare skip a track without fear of missing out.  Kudos to Red Dragon Cartel Mk II for dropping a disc that after just one listen you’ll find yourself hitting the repeat button again and again and finding something a bit different that you hadn’t quite heard the first time.