Steamhammer/SPV [release date: 10.08.18]
‘35’ denotes the number of years that Mad Max have been together. Top marks for endurance. The melodic hard rockers formed in Munster, Germany have waited five years to follow-up 2013’s studio platter, ‘Interceptor’.
Despite the odd moment of early-career prominence, the band have never really sustained a strong presence in the UK. Whilst ‘35’ is a perfectly fine album in its own right, it would be hard to see anything in the collection alone boosting their profile.
Like many euro-melodic/hard rock albums of the genre, the sound is beautifully constructed and the playing and performing (though the vocals can be a bit nasal) is technically top notch. The let down is around the paucity of quality songwriting or stand out tunes to elevate the album from the, well, humdrum, if that’s not too harsh.
The feel of 35 is overtly contemporary. Nothing here to suggest a band harking back to former glories. In fact the production is so tight that it is in danger of squeezing any real freedom out of the music. Decent tunes from their back catalogue like ‘Night of Passion’ and ‘Lonely is the Hunter’ fare well in comparison .
The tracks are a mixture of commercial hooks and anthems with a few moments of finely honed guitar power. There’s an attempt here to make everything hook-laden and hummable. It works to an extent, but fans of the genre might feel that the overall impact is a fraction lightweight.
Best on show is probably the mid-paced, autobiographical ‘Thirty 5’ and ‘Beat Of The Heart’, where guitarist Jürgen Breforth shows off his wares to fine effect. His lead work is exemplary throughout the album and lifts many tracks out of the mundane. Take the blistering, distorted breaks on ‘D.A.M.N.’, where lead singer Michael Voss also lets rip with a few top end histrionics.
Elsewhere, ‘Snowdance’ shows a harder edge, powered by ferocious drumming, and a brief willingness to step outside the formula. Lyrically there’s the usual tales of life in a rock band (‘Rocky Road’) and love on the rocks (’Already Gone’), though ‘False Freedom’ is noteworthy for its critical social commentary. ‘Goodbye to You’ is a pleasant romp and the bonus track, a cover of Dokken’s ‘Paris Is Burning’, is definitely worth a listen.
A decent enough album, solid on technique and style, though without ever approaching the spectacular. ***1/2
Review by Dave Atkinson
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
Next session: Sunday 19 January
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 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.
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 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)