Album review: PALACE OF THE KING – White Bird/Burn the Sky

Let’s just cut to the chase – this is indeed yet another darn good album from down under – Aussie rockers, Palace of the King’s’ debut full album “White Bird/Burn The Sky” gets a very strong 4 out of 5 and here’s why….

Now and again, a band comes along which espouses all the combined virtues of the usual classic rock influences and yet still bathes in the light of originality. Similar to how the manufacturers of Formula One race cars are always striving for that elusive 1% of performance improvement that differentiates them from the competition, that’s the magic which new bands are (or should be) aiming for…..how do we fuse all the elements of classic rock DNA but still sound fresh, new and exciting ?

Palace of the King have absolutely nailed it. Undeniably part-Purple in the way the keys and guitar intertwine and complement each other to great effect on ”Ain’t Got Nobody To Blame But Myself”, “Another Thing Coming” and “Get Back Up (Burn The Sky)”. Groin-grinding grooves tipping the hat to Zeppelin on “Take Your Medicine”, almost “Answer-like” on pacey and very pleasing “No Chance in Hell” and portraying Rainbow to Rival Sons-type influences throughout, Palace of the King has produced an album of genuine quality and intensity.

The band throws everything behind energetic vocalist, Tim Henwood, whose pitch and tone is Geddy-like in parts, especially on “Devil’s Daughter” where the bluesy pomp and strut would not have been out of place on a Free or Bad Company album.

For fans of ‘70s-sounding classic rock – widespread rumours of the death of the genre are hereby crushed by Palace of the King….it lives and breaths and will be chugging through Europe in October and November (though somewhat strangely, mainly Spain and sadly, not the UK…..yet). They’ve even come up with album cover artwork very reminiscent of the era – good job lads! ****

Review by Mark “Mad Dog” Shaw

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SEVEN BLOOD To The Unknown (indie)
FROM FALL TO SPRING Incomplete (Arising Empire)
POP EVIL Side Effects (MNRK Heavy)
ERJA LYYTINEN Abyss (Tuohi Records)
SKY VALLEY MISTRESS Too Many Ghosts (New Heavy Sounds)

Featured Albums w/c 7 April 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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