Album Review: Mad Max – Stormchild Rising
Reviewed by Jon Wigg
German rockers Mad Max have been going for almost 40 year and have pretty much stuck to their tried and tested formula of catchy 80’s hard rock/heavy metal with fine performances throughout. They aren’t going to break down any walls but if you like decent solos, well crafted riffs and a large slice of cheese, this album is for you.
Opener ‘Hurricained’ sets the table well, and includes a guest vocal performance from Ronnie Romero from Rainbow and Lords of Black. A good track that bangs along nicely and really took me back to the 80’s. ‘Talk to the Moon’ and ‘Eyes of Love’ follow this up with most of the expected 80’s hard rock cliches but with a modern feel and this feeling carries on throughout the entire 11 track slab.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ slows the pace down a touch and while not strictly a ballad, it certainly has a feel of one in parts. ‘Mindhunter’ swings along nicely and has a really good groove before ‘Rain Rain’ ups the tempo and heaviness. ‘Gemini’ has more of a sleaze rock feel and ‘Kingdom Fall’ is more of a straight hard rock classic with an excellent solo section.
Special mention for ‘The Blues Ain’t No Stranger’ which is a great slower paced rocker with an amazing solo from Stryper guitarist Oz Fox. Mad Max’s cover of Rough Cutt’s ‘Take Her’ is next and includes another guest vocalist, this time Paul Shortino from Rough Cutt! This is a great cover of an 80’s hard rock classic and the vocal sparring between Shortino and Michael Voss is worth checking out. Closer ‘Busted’ finishes things off nicely and has some menace in the more metal riffing.
Overall an excellent hard rock/metal album rooted firmly in the 1980’s - helped by camoes from Shortino and Fox. Great performances from the entire band - Jürgen Breforth on guitars, Thomas ‘Hutch’ Bauer on bass and Axel Kruse on drums - but it’s Voss who shines here on both vocals and lead guitar.
Mad Max know what their fans want and ‘Stormchild Rising’ provides this in spades. Classic 80’s metal of the lighter and melodic variety. So slap this on the turntable, crack open a couple of beers and let this album take you back to a simpler time.
