ZIOR – ZIOR PLUS… - 1971 (UK) occult hard rock

An obscure progressive/heavy rock group whose debut album has few memorable moments but has become quite collectable because of the label it's on. The vocals are poor, the composition's weak and the playing is ponderous. The pick of a poor batch are I Really Do, Za Za Za Zilda (also released as a 45), Love's Desire and Oh Mariya, but all four were in a similar, rather flat, heavy rock style.
The See For Miles album reissue includes five previously unreleased tracks from a second projected album which never saw daylight. The best of these was Strange Kind Of Magic, which had a good voodoo beat and some distorted guitar. Overall, they were stronger than the material on the original album. Cat's Eyes had some decent heavy rock guitar riffs. The CD featured three additional tracks to the album but I can only really recommend this to Zior and Black Sabbath fans.
Zior had their roots in Southend's early sixties R&B scene. Kevin Bonsor had previously been in a local R&B outfit, The Essex Five, and then classical/rock fusion outfit, Cardboard Orchestra. Pete Brewer had been in another Southend R&B band, The Night Riders. He and Bonsor were Zior's founding members recruiting Truba and Skeels (who'd once played in a London band called The Bum) via a 'Melody Maker' advert.
Zior did have a reputation as a wild live band. They were heavily into Black Magic and Satanic Mass etc. They recorded an album on the Beacon label, later in 1971, which was credited to Monument, though in fact it featured all four members of Zior.

Keith Bonsor (vocals, keyboards, bass, flute)
Peter Brewer (drums, piano, harmonica)
Barry Skeels (bass, vocals)
John Truba (guitar, vocals)
1 I Really Do
2 Za Za Za Zilda
2 Love's Desire
4 New Land
5 Now I'm Sad
6 Give Me Love
7 Quabala
8 Oh Mariya
9 Your Life Will Burn
10 I Was Fooling
11 Before My Eyes Go Blind
12 Rolling Thunder
13 Dudi Judy*
14 Evolution*
15 Cat's Eyes*
16 Strange Kind of Magic*
17 Ride Me Baby*
18 Entrance of the Devil*
19 Every Inch A Man*
20 Angel of the Highway*

Reissue of early 70s UK heavy rock band's debut album from 1971 with 8 bonus tracks from their 1973 follow up, Every Inch A Man. Right away you notice the spooky artwork, which was created by the same artist who did the first Black Sabbath album. 20 tracks and extensive liner notes.

Highly recommended!
Rip from CD 256@ (full artwork included)
Download links
http://link-protector.com/276931/
http://link-protector.com/276932/