A quarterly feature highlighting album releases rated highly by the GRTR! review team and worthy of your investigation

KALANDRA A Frame Of Mind (By Norse Music)

Turn on the heat, settle down with your favourite tipple, and let ‘A Frame Of Mind’ wash over you as you contemplate cooler days ahead. The perfect antidote. ****1/2

Review by David Randall

LAZARUS HEIGHTS Papillon (indie)

It’s a poised, well crafted album with successful ambitions of grandeur and is everything you want from a melodic rock band with a charismatic front man.  *****

Review by Pete Feenstra

AUSTIN GOLD Ain’t No Saint (TMR Rock)

The band deserve a real breakthrough with this album . Ones to watch out for, again. ****

Review by David Randall

BRAVE RIVAL Fight Or Flight (indie)

With the wheel already invented, it is particularly hard to be original in the classic and blues rock field. It is therefore a rare treat to come across something as refreshing and imaginative as this masterpiece of an album.  *****

Review by Andy Nathan

 JON ANDERSON AND THE BAND GEEKS – True (Frontiers)

Just like he did with Yes, Anderson often sounds absorbed in his own intricate reverie. The lyrical spirituality of tracks like ‘Build Me An Ocean’ and the 16 minute ‘Once Upon A Dream’ – a new classic – could only have been created by one man.  ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

SCARLET REBELS Where The Colours Meet (Earache Records)

Scarlet Rebels are definitely on the ascendancy and this album really showcases that.  *****

Review by Karen Clayton

Albums of the Month: April – June 2024