Lee Kerslake's Eleventeen is a poignant, welcome reminder of his skills

Eleventeen by Lee Kerslake is a fitting farewell from the former Ozzy and Uriah Heep drummer

By Malcolm Dome
( Classic Rock )
published
Lee Kerslake - Eleventeen
(Image: © Cherry Red)

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Lee Kerslake passed away last September, so there’s something poignant about his debut solo album being released now. But putting aside such thoughts, judged solely on its musical merits Eleventeen is a fine record. 

Due to health issues It took Kerslake three years to complete, and it’s a joyous collection of eight tracks showcasing his remarkably strong voice and wide influences. Opener Celia Sienna is sensitive, while Take Nothing For Granted wouldn’t be out of place on an early-80s Uriah Heep album.

He shows his more raucous side on the honky-tonk fun of Port And A Brandy, and does a fine interpretation of Carole King’s You’ve Got A Friend, before the instrumental Mom provides a sedate timbre to close with. 

Kerslake’s personal notes on each song suggests he knew this would be his final work. It’s a welcome reminder of his skills.

Malcolm Dome
Malcolm Dome

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.