Omega
Gambler
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Omega is a three-piece rock band for Jesus. I first heard about this band from Vortexx. The first news that struck me about them was the claim that Mark Timson, their lead guitarist, is Christian rock's answer to Gary Moore. This is a mighty big claim to live up to. After listening to their Gambler tape extensively, I believe this claim is a possibility. There's nothing totally mind-blowing on the three songs on this tape ("Gambler," "Closer to Heaven," "Where Is Hope?"), but the guitar work shown is very good. The first two songs have the gutsy, distortion-filled sound of a confident guitarist. "Where Is Hope?" shows that Timo, Mark's nickname, has some emotion in his fingers. All the bridges in this song are very melodic. The proof of Timo's skill will definitely come from seeing him cut loose live. The rest of this power trio is: John Maddison on lead vocals and bass; Roger "Big H" Hicks on drums. This band from Nottingham, England formed in 1983. They promise an exciting live show that hopefully will someday be accessible to American audiences. They have just released a single called "Love Will Find a Way" (I'm pretty sure it's not an Amy Grant rip-off) backed with "Give Yourself to Jesus." This single has already sold well in the U.K. as well as receiving airplay over there. This is a choice band that each of us should have in our collection. They have a sound that's all their own and that's not a vague way to say that they're no good. They are very hot! To order the Gambler tape, send an international money order for 4 Sterling. This is necessary because it costs them extra to convert U.S. dollars to British Sterling. The "Love Will Find a Way" single costs 3.50 Sterling. The effort required for the international money order will be well worth it. Make the order out to Mark Timson and send to Omega, 36 Broomhill Road, Bulwell, Nottingham, N96 9GW, England.