Album review: NAZARETH – Surviving The Law

Frontiers [Release date: 15.04.22]

Most music reviewers weren’t born when Nazareth started up, and few bands are still rocking as hard, to enthusiastic acclaim, 54 years later.

Surviving The Law is the band’s second album with Carl Sentance on vocals.

Here’s what we said about the first, Tattooed (2018) : “It must have been tempting to crank up the weapons grade hard rock, and bludgeon an always forgiving fanbase into submission, but it’s arguably their most consistent, inventive album for some time”.

The new album continues where the last left off. With producer Yann Rouiller, they’ve pushed themselves to offer a yet more adventurous, fresh sounding collection of songs, matching the solid, reliable hard rock of the old with the imaginative arrangements and song structures of the new.

And so they have created a very distinctive version of Nazareth, from the raw, moody, multi layered, Nirvana like hard rock of ‘Strange Days’, to the almost whispered confessional, ‘You Made Me’. The latter’s cool use of Hammond organ underpinning reaches right back to the nascent Brit Blues Rock sounds of John Mayall and Chicken Shack.

Jimmy Murrison’s guitarwork – taut, tense, unshowy and loud – is the backbone of the album. The bolted to the floor rhythm section of the Agnews, Pete and Lee, keep it bass heavy and well grounded. But it’s Murrison’s axework that does the heavy lifting … pushing Sentance’s vocals to its limits on ‘Runaway’ or delivering relentlessly clanging, clawing axework on ‘You Got To Pass It Around’, while Sentance sings like he’s a soul man auditioning for Roy Wood’s Wizard. It’s cool how they work in tandem, carving out their own attractive little niche in the rock’n'roll wall of “how to do it different”.

Other highlights, like the solid, bluesy, seventies hard rock and rolling momentum of ‘Love Breaks’, and the belting Grunge rock of ‘Psycho Skies’, a serious deviation from their tried and tested path, turn these tracks into true delights.

No question, this is music that marches to the beat of its own drum.

The Nazareth sell-by date is still way out of sight. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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

Check out radio stream repeat on Tuesday 8th (16:00 GMT) and Thursday 10th April (21:00 GMT)
Next Session: Sunday 4 May

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 2 March 2025.

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 on 4 March 2025

How to Listen Live?

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

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 live or listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 7 April 2025

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)

Our occasional Newsletter signposts latest additions to the website(s). We also include a selection of recent top albums, based on GRTR! reviewer ratings. The newsletter is sent out a few times a year.

If you’d like to register to receive this occasional mailing please complete the form:

If using a smartphone/tablet please tap here or re-orientate your device

(Note that this registration is separate from site registration which allows you to leave comments and receive daily emails about new content. If you wish to register for this – in addition or separately – please click or tap here – for more information – the form is at the foot of each page. Please read our privacy policy when opting-in to receive emails.