Share the post "Album review: ALBANY DOWN – Born In The Ashes"
AD Recordings [Release date: 01.09.23]
Back after too long away and with a changed band membership, Paul Turley’s Albany Down hit the racks with a fourth album, ‘Born In The Ashes’. And very fine it is too. Seven eventful years have passed since ‘The Outer Reach’ saw the light of day and I had assumed that, like many bands in these tumultuous times, they had simply bitten the dust.
Well not so. Though only founder member Turley survives, and maybe the album title is very literal. He has now added lead vocal duties to his exemplary guitar work, and the band is completed by drummer, Pete Hancock, and bassist Ben Atkins. Nick Nasmyth adds some deft keybaord parts throughout.
‘Born in the Ashes’ is more diverse than earlier albums. It is packed full of electric blues and hard rock nods from Zep to Cream, but also laced with funky, soulful, melodic and commercial passages that Black Stone Cherry or Thunder might plunder.
Early tracks on the album emphasise that point. Opener, ‘Always Want What You Can’t Have’ immediately plays the band’s hard-rocking cards – driving riff, huge drums, pumping bass and searing solos. Love it.
But surprises are in store. Next up, ‘Good News’ hits fast with a catchy, pop-influenced vocal hook, a swinging riff and bar room piano.
The mood switches again with a mid-paced bluesy outing on ‘Same Damn Thing’ with stacked brass and backing vocals in a sound reminiscent of Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Tommy Castro.
All previous AD outings have been produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals) and he’s back on the flight deck for this release. The touch is assured. Never more so than on the first ballad to sneak out of the speakers, ‘The Memory of What Used to Be.
Turley’s ever-so-slight nasal twang is lifted and sweetened on this track by the delicious backing vocals of Cat Wyn Southall. It’s almost a duet in truth. Lush keyboards fill out the wistful narrative and there’s a couple of solos – one beautifully understated and the other ripped from the ‘emotional jugular’ drawer – to complete a top quality song.
‘Reflections’ shows off Turley’s exquisite playing with obvious Hendrix-infused vibes and another catchy vocal hook. The mid-track solo is an absolute killer.
The title track is a twisty-turny thing of hard-driving guitar/keyboard riffs, a defiant narrative, quiet passages and rhythm changes. Turley’s vocal performance here is maybe the best on the album, stretching for and nailing some soaring notes.
‘Darkest Day’s doom-laden tones pick up a mix of riff-heavy energy interspersed with a mighty chorus, pauses, breakdowns, a wisp of slide guitar and a hint of keyboard prog. This is the band flexing all their muscles.
There is a lot of consistent bang-top quality across the 13 track, near-hour long album, and the highlights keep coming.
‘Your Days Are Numbered’ kicks out a splintering hard edged guitar riff undercut with grinding organ tones and provides a dark counterpoint to other material, with a vaguely threatening lyrical theme of retribution and revenge.
A second ballad is ‘Heavy Soul’, with a stripped down structure and plaintive lyrics, breaking into rich synth strings and piano tinkles before an extended guitar solo ushers in layered waves of sweet vocals and emotional guitar.
The final track ‘Let Your Love Shine’ opens with thunderous drums and a lowdown, rough riff to ensure the album rocks hard right through to the final knockings.
Seven years is surely too long between releases, but whatever the reasons, this excellent album deserves to build some momentum and push Albany Down towards enduring and wide-spread success. ****
Review by Dave Atkinson
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.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
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 7 April 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 2 April 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 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: ALBANY DOWN – Born In The Ashes"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
