Frontiers [Release date 17.06.22]
Underwhelming Symphonic Metal from Timo Tolkki “discovery”, Caterina Nix.
This new release,Emerge, is a second collaboration between Nix and one of Frontiers’ South American songwriter/producer wunderkind, Nasson. The first, Furyborn, was released in 2019.
Nasson’s production is so in your face that you constantly raise your hands to swat it away. It’s big, It’s loud. It seems maxed out on ideas, and so he fills the gaps with prefabricated moves, and knocks out the thundering bass beats like a symphonic metal morse code, but the message is never clear.
Most tracks here are weighed down by this rinse and repeat approach to the production and arrangements. Shame, as Nix is a versatile vocalist. Her sweet falsetto can do the heavy lifting even in the most macho of metal environments. As she shows us on ‘The Impossible’, rescuing a decent tune and chorus from the grip of a suffocatingly strident production.
Equally, she can deliver a song with a steely conviction and purpose, grabbing onto the the early promise of the classy ballad, ‘Garden Of Winter’ with both hands.
Nasson eventually throws several kitchen sinks worth of overdone arrangements at the song, but this is ably resisted by Nix, treating the narrative – full of sentiment – with an appropriate robustness, giving the song a classic, doom laden quality.
And so it goes throughout the album. Several tracks, like ‘Victims Of Our Heaven’ and ‘Beneath Your Skin’ explore no new territory and aim at no new targets, recycling old ideas. Then ‘Beyond The Silence’ and ‘Days Of Lions’ pop up, confounding our expectations, as Nix’s voice swoops and soars, adding nuance and subtlety in the face of the production’s rumble and thunder. **1/2
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
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 3 November 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 29 October 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 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
