ALBERT AF EKENSTAM Ashes Kning Disk [Release date 14.10.16]

‘Ashes’ is the debut album from Albert af Ekenstam, who is a member of Tempel and his fellow band member Filip Leyman joins him on drums/keys/production. Singer/guitarist Sumie Nagano and trumpeter Max Lindahl are the other musical guests on here.

Listen to ‘Made Of Gold’, an atmospheric wonder from the musical backing through to Albert’s soothing, plaintive vocals. A couple of instrumentals add to the overall cinematic feel of the music – it is as if the listener is inside a movie with the plot provided by the lyrics and soundtrack from the music.

An album to immerse yourself in and indulge in the music it has to offer. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie

FRACTALMIND Stainless

Polish band Fractalmind have been around a few years and this is their first release sung in English. Interestingly although classed as prog rock, the band’s love of a concise metal riff and the soaring vocals of Marcin Walczak bring to mind modern rock like Alter Bridge and even Bullet For My Valentine. If there is one criticism it is that the album is possibly overlong by a couple of songs mainly as the pace is pretty constant throughout the album.

Intriguing listen as the concept is firmly in the prog realm yet the music has a broader appeal to those who enjoy modern rock/metal. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie

ROADKILL Extinct MelodicRock Records [Release date 09.09.16]

Roadkill hail from Tasmania and this is the band’s second album, their first since signing with MelodicRock Records. The current line-up consists of vocalist Neil Steel, guitarists Zig and James Basser, bassist Ted Tedington and drummer Brendan ‘Squid’ Shelverton.

It will come as no surprise given the band’s homeland that AC/DC loom large in the band’s sound, none more so than on ‘What The Hell’, a neat little riff monster. Roadkill are definitely a band you’d want to see live. Touch of the mighty Judas Priest in the guitar solos on ‘Ready For War’, whilst on ‘Down And Out’ the solos tip a nod to Sabbath.

For no frills classic hard rock look no further. ***

Review by Jason Ritchie

THE MUTANTS Your Desert My Mind

Killer Tracks

The Mutants are essentially Chris Constantinou, Rat Scabies and Paul Frazer, and here on album number three they have been joined by a host of guests that include Chris Goss (QOTSA), Sean Wheeler (Mark Lanagan), Brent DeBoer and Zia McCabe (Dandy Warhols) amongst others.

The resulting album “Your Desert My Mind” is a twelve track affair that ranges from the electronic rock of “Post Everything Blues” and “The Final Hand” to the blues and gutsy vocals of “Fidgety” and through to the spacey “Vultures” and “Distant Light”. Whilst “Highway 62” and the aforementioned “Distant Light” would not be out of place on a soundtrack, the fast paced electronic instrumental that is “Machismo Postura” is one of the albums highlights, the others being opening track “Your Desert My Mind”, which would not be out of place on the recent album from The Cult, and “Lucky One”.

“Night Bus To Krakow” is pure electronica blues whilst “Night Bus To Krakow” (The Return)” showcases some great drumming from Mr Scabies. All in all this is not a bad album. ***

Review by Nikk Gunns

TRAGIC EARTH Hatred & Tolerance

“Hatred & Tolerance” is the debut album from Australian four piece Tragic Earth. Opening with the modern rock of “Fade” and “Bittersweet Reality”, and the driving, rhythmic “Future Bleak Society” it is here that I begin to realise that, although these tracks are good the album is going to continue in a very samey pattern.

Musically the band have a feel somewhere between ‘90’s Metallica and Dream Theatre, via a very Pantera like opening on “Voices”. Vocally, front man Dima Shafro sits somewhere between Placebo’s Brian Moloko and Rush’s Geddy Lee and this is the same on every song.
I quickly forwarded to “Pretty Vacant” to see how that had been interpreted but was to find it was just the famous title that the band have borrowed. There is a brief acoustic musical interlude courtesy of “Morbid Fascination” and the all-out acoustic track “Overflow”, the end of the album kind of saved by “The Taste of Wasted”.

Tragic Earth is not a bad band and “Hatred & Tolerance” is by no means a poor effort- however, I would like to see the band push their boundaries on album number two. **1/2

Review by Nikk Gunns

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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 1 December 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 3 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

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