REVIEW: The week's best rock albums from The Magpie Salute, Saxon to Massive Wagons

The Magpie Salute

High Water.

(Provogue/Mascot).

***** 5 Stars.

Named for luck, The Magpie Salute is a phoenix of a band raised from the glowing ashes of Rich Robinson’s Hookah Brown and The Black Crowes groups.

Now leading a new band comprised of players from these erstwhile outfits, Robinson has cooked up a special rock recipe of soulful songs.

Mary The Gypsy smoulders from the speakers to fire up this rockin’ engine of superb songs. Title track High Water reveals deft acoustic tones similar to an on form CSNY.

In singer John Hogg, Robinson has discovered a powerful interpreter of tunes none more so than the raw soul power inclusiveness of Colour Blind.

All songs have that superior Crowes feel with Marc Ford’s hot guitar riffs rattling the bones, especially on Send Me An Omen, For The Wind and Sister Moon.

However, it’s the breadth of consummate musical prowess ranging from the sublime Walk On Water, to the naked raw rock of Take It All and Can You See which defines the throwback beauty of this release. 

High Water sets a very high benchmark of swaggering soulful rock.

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Saxon

Rock The Nations.

(BMG).

**** 4 Stars.

2018 has seen a hive of activity so far in the Saxon camp. New release Thunderbolt has set the rock charts alight and the ongoing re-issue of their back catalogue, with added extras, has been progressing nicely to the delight of their fans.

The latest slew of re-issues includes their classic release Rock The Nations.

With singer and bandleader Biff Byford also taking on bass duties, Rock The Nations has a depth charge bottom to it that still shakes the floorboards.

A slight but deft commercial metal polish finds a band marauding ahead on the title ditty, Waiting For The Night and We Came Here To Rock.

All classic Saxon songs. 

But of most curious interest is a rocking keyboard cameo by Elton John on Party ‘Til You Puke and the elegiac Northern Lady.

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Ultraphonix

Original Human Music.

(earMUSIC).

**** 4stars.

Few newly formed bands, created from disparate musical elements, rarely live up to their dog whistle hype to engage a wider audience.

However, Ultraphonix breaks the mould with their aptly titled Original Human Music. 

Living Colour singer Corey Glover melodic yet soulful voice mixed with Dokken/Lynch Mob’s George Lynch’s heavy experimental guitar attack has to be listened to be believed.

Steeped in rock, funk, jazz and psychedelic tones there is a broad wash of highly appealing music here.

Both Free and Wasteland will test any audiophiles system to the max with its multi-layering of souped-up reverbed sounds. As will the early Red Hot Chilli Pepper sonic flavours on Soul Control and What You Say.

A mighty fine debut.

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Massive Wagons

Full Nelson.

(Earache).

**** 4 Stars.

Lancaster rockers Massive Wagons have been on the cusp of greater things for some while. This should be about to change with this release of fun songs given a right good guitar thrashing. Singer Daz Mills channels his inner Dennis The Menace with his dash of precocious verbals and strong vocals across this banging release.

China Plates crashes around like the soundtrack to a Greek party and Billy Balloon Head (with petrol instead of a brain) ignites this release’s music bomb of songs. There is even scope for a classy ballad on Northern Boy. 

Plenty to wrestle with here with an album’s worth of knockout songs.