Album review: BASTION ROSE – Traces Of Gold
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Epictronic [Release date 07.11.25]
‘Traces Of Gold’ is essentially a mini-album clocking in at barely 30 minutes. But great things come in small packages.
The album is a meaty riff-fest with little gristle. Great melodies abound too and it would be churlish to single out individual tracks. They are all top-notch.
The intriguing aspects are the far-too-short instrumentals: the proggy strumming of ‘Parallax’ and ‘Rain’.
The band’s influences are some of the big hitters in classic hard and heavy rock from the seventies onwards and including bands like Tool, Audioslave and Soundgarden. Their debut EP ‘Fade To Blue’ was released in early 2025.
The band’s frontman Austin Frink has overcome both personal loss and cancer in recent years and no doubt mortality and adversity permeates the subject matter. Produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Rush) this should be your first obsession for 2026. ****
Review by David Randall
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Power Plays w/c 16 February 2026
THE ANCIENT UNKNOWN Separated (indie)
LIZZIE REID Sweet Relief (indie)
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ARGOVIA Ebb & Flow (Presagio Records)
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