Frontiers Music [Release date: 12.01.24]

For The Grandmaster’s second album, mainman, guitarist and Edguy co-founder, Jens Ludwig has recruited ex Fate vocalist, Peer Johansson.

Surprisingly, given the accessibility of the material they created in previous employment, much of Black Sun needs patience and understanding before it really starts to register.

Unless of course your brain is naturally attuned to Power Metal with the occasional teutonic twist.

In which case, the title track, ‘Black Sun’ will have the immediate impact for which it is clearly intended.

It introduces us to the first of the album’s filigreed blasts of neatly orchestrated metal. Johansson’s cement mixer vocals come alive with a rumble and a gritty aftertaste, aided and abetted by Ludwig’s fret bending axework, a rolling current of melodically inclined noise.

‘Heaven’s Calling’ sees the band tumbling headlong into the welcoming arms of NWOBHM. A fast paced, foot on the monitor blast that cranks up from a growl to a wail in the blink of an eye.
In among the mayhem, Ludwig’s finger blurring axework never loses sight of the melody, tracking it across the song with skill and alacrity.

Between times, we have a nicely turned piano ballad, ‘Fly, Icarus Fly’; the contemporary lyrical message of ‘Learn To Forgive’ (with a cleverly constructed exotic backdrop) and the biggie, ‘Watching The End’, where Johansson’s mouth-of-nails vocals demolish the scenery and anything else within vocal range.

And it’s evident by now that Johansson’s and Ludwig’s talent and professionalism provide the music with a solid power metal core, pumping up the drama on standouts like ‘While The Sun’ and ‘Soul Sacrifice’.

Both tracks are marginally more accessible than the openers, meaning we don’t have to work quite as hard to tune in.

What they succeed in doing is ensure the album maintains momentum, surging and melodic, encouraging all around to uphold the urgent, declamatory nature of the genre.

Fine album. ***1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

---

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

---

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 20 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 22 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

---

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
RIOGHAN Hands (Inverse Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

---

---

Popular (last 10 days)

---