There’s a big chunky riff that opens up ‘Hurricaned’ and instantly you’re back headbanging at a show sometime in the 80’s and if you like bands like Dokken, Bonfire and Scorpions, you’ll feel right at home.
The press release says it particularly well: “Mad Max are musically unambiguous and have been for almost forty years! Their deeply melodic hard rock, driven by haunting guitar riffs, catchy vocals and a rhythm section with an infallible timing, has never lost its contours and honesty.”
In truth I’ve had a real soft spot for these guys even before I first saw them live in a field in Oklahoma many years into their career. They’re a band led by the inimitable Michael Voss who is perhaps best known for his music production that the band he has steered (with breathers) since 1982.
If you liked that, fiery opener ‘Talk To the Moon’ starts with a vintage Ozzy guitar and soon mellows into a smooth melodic hard rocker very much like countrymen Bonfire. ‘Eyes of Love’ that follows is a real melodic arm-waver that is wonderfully simple in construction but mightily effective. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ is one of those mid-tempo rockers that grows on you and has a touch of everything from Purple to Magnum and Def Leppard in the mix, plus some Spanish guitar! (It’s a song that is also reworked to end the album in a remarkably different fashion).
And there’s plenty more to fuel the fire and keep you rocking: ‘Mindhunter’ adds a bit more steel in the guitars and a bouncing groove, whist ‘Rain Rain’ sounds somehow dirtier and darker leaving ‘Gemini’ to pull out the big swelling chorus with roof-raising intent. Throughout the album you can’t help but marvel at the musicianship as the art and style of Voss’ voice and Breforth’s guitar are ably supported by Axel Kruse wonderful drum sound and Bauer’s beautifully woven bass lines.
The longest song here ‘Kingdom Fall’ takes us back a few years with more of a late seventies Hard Rock vibe about it when it was as cool to sing about ancient kingdoms as girls and good times. And then comes a first in ‘The Blues Ain’t No Stranger’, the first Mad Max song with ‘Blues’ in the title, (all very un-80’s!) It’s a killer song though, and only has a hint of Blues about it. It also comes with a great guitar solo courtesy of Stryper guitarist Oz Fox.
Next up comes a cover of Rough Cutt’s ‘Take Her’ which features The Rockpit’s old mate Paul Shortino which is pretty nice too and cool to get Paul on there. We close really I guess with ‘Busted’, a broody rocker that has plenty of dynamics and rides a great groove, it’s right up there with the best here.
The album closes out with a ‘single edit’ of ‘Ladies And Gentlemen’ featuring Detlev Jöcker (I’m guessing a German children’s entertainer?) and the ‘Rock and Roll Children’ (students of a German music school) which adds a German language verse and chorus and was recorded back in April. I’m guessing that might be a good move at home because I’m not sure we really need it here as (no disrespect intended) Jöcker’s contribution might be lost on international listeners.
It’s another great album and a very consistent band. Is it as good as ’35’, their last outing from 2018? It’s a close call.
7.5/10
Tracklisting: 01.Hurricaned 3:29 | 02.Talk To The Moon 4:12 |03.Eyes Of Love 3:31 | 04.Ladies and Gentlemen 4:51 | 05.Mindhunter 4:36 | 06.Rain rain 4:25 | 07.Gemini 3:50 | 08.Kingdom Fall 5:01 | 09.The Blues Ain’t No Stranger 4:16 | 10.Take Her 3:32 | 11.Busted 4:51 | 12.Ladies And Gentlemen (Single Edit) 3:40
Mad Max: Michael Voss – lead vocals, lead guitars | Jürgen Breforth – rhythm guitars | Thomas “Hutch” Bauer – bass, vocals | Axel Kruse – drums
