On their 2022 long player ‘Bitter Soul’, Finnish metallers Highway Queen very much flew the flag for a traditional approach. The album’s eight songs drew influence from a mid 80s Iron Maiden, with galloping riffs and twin lead guitars, from Michael Schenker via a very European sense of bombast, and a couple of Scandinavian hard rock rock acts from more recent times, which certainly helped their shamelessly old fashioned sound retain a pleasing sense of melody. Against their often familiar sounding riffs, vocalist Virpi Kääriäinen shared a strong vocal, and despite sometimes sounding a little buried within the band’s studio arrangements – at least on the faster numbers, the Whitesnake-esque title cut allowed for more clarity – it was obvious she had the kind of talent that would carry itself well in the live setting.
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CHIMPAN A – The Air That I Breathe / Karl’s Song
Over the years, Albert Hammond’s ‘The Air That I Breathe’ has been recorded by numerous artists. The Hollies’ recording from 1974 remains its most famous incarnation, but dig through the archives and you’ll discover other notable versions from Dana Gillespie, Judy Collins, AOR band Alien, Olivia Newton-John, Swedish pop band The Tuesday Girls (latterly The Tuesdays), and even Hank Williams, Jr. It seems to be one of those tracks that never really goes away, but few have breathed as much new life into this well worn number than pop-prog collective Chimpan A.
CANDY RIOT – Mirrors (A Covers EP)
Candy Riot may well have formed in the 2020s and become a mainstay of the Texas club scene since 2022, but the band’s collective heart and head appears to be living somewhere in the wilds of 1984. Their ‘Nico Loretto’ album from 2024 is absolutely loaded with superb retro pop, and its best songs blend the new wave aesthetic of the skinny tie brigade from the early years of US MTV with synth sounds pulled straight off early Depeche Mode albums, Ultravox’s ‘Vienna’ and Soft Cell’s brilliant – and eternally grubby – ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’. A combination of really bright sounding arrangements and great, harmonious pop vocals result in the kind of listen that feels nostalgic, even when the material is unfamiliar.
RISE OF THE WOOD – Discharge
In the summer of 2023, Dutch metal band Rise of The Wood released the ‘Sleep’ EP, an excellent three tracker that signified their long overdue return, but also a rebirth. Their first new music in six years, ‘Sleep’ was also the first Rise release to feature vocalist Leo Gstrein. His confident tones immediately outshone any of the work on the band’s 2017 debut and the music sounded much better all round. This suggested that band’s decision to take time out to regroup had been more than beneficial.
THE MOCHINES – Modern Information
Bringing together members of B-Movie Rats, LaDonnas and Rum Bar Records’ signings The Hi-End, The Mochines are a no nonsense garage rock band featuring some of the genre’s old hands. Following a few years away, their 2023 release ‘Modern Information’ finds this group of friends sounding particularly energised, and on its best cuts, sounding even sharper than ever before.