Album review: ALIRIO – All Things Must Pass

Frontiers [Release date 06.08.21]

Alirio (Netto) is big in Brazil.

Arguably, he’s paid his dues several times over, appearing on stage in several rock musicals through the years to considerable acclaim, as well as being the frontman for Khalice, Age Of Artemis and Shaman, three metal bands performing in the Prog and Power arenas.

South America has become an increasingly fertile stomping ground for Frontiers Music, with Raphael (Icon of Sin) Mendes and Inez Vera (Inner Stream) Ortiz releasing albums recently. The results have been mixed.

In this case, Alirio and his band bridge over several artificial boundaries. Glassy guitars and discreetly programmed percussion mix satisfyingly with bass heavy rhythms in Adriano Dega’s semi contemporary rock production, carefully arranged with one foot in the past and one foot in the present. And if you listen on really good headphones/ earphones or speakers, it sounds magnificent.

It’s an interesting construction in many ways. Such tracks as ‘Back To My Roots’, which sounds like Alice Cooper performing a song modelled on the theatrical stomp of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’, and the syrupy, Backstreet Boys/Westlife kitchen sink ballad, (no key change sadly), ‘Here I Am’, are almost tangential departures from the matter in hand.

‘All Things Must Pass’, the track, ‘Back To The Light’ and ‘I’m Still Here’ indicate a more complex compositional direction, but nothing’s overdone. Even the more ambitious tracks – the whirling, wheeling ‘Edinburgh’, lightly steeped in celtic tradition, and ‘The First Time’, which brings a bit of Hollywood musical dazzle to procedings – are clearly well within Alirio’s reach.

The duet with Arnel (Journey) Pineda, ‘Grey’, is a bit special, and not because of Pineda, who graciously remains in the shadows. But because Alirio takes hold of this sweeping ballad and very effectively delivers a study in subtly subdued performance.

More please ****

review by Brian McGowan

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)