Album Of The Month: January

Audrey Horne - Youngblood (Classic Rock/Metal)

Of all of the albums released this month, I'd say that this one is not only the best, but also the most surprising. On hearing that Norwegian Post-Grunge rockers Audrey Horne were about to release album number 4, I was more that a little nonplussed. I mean, they have always had their moments, but none of the previous albums has exactly blown me away. Each has had its highlights, but none has been consistently good enough to stand out from the veritable hordes of bands playing that type of music.

That is until now. The more keen-eyed among you may have already noticed the genre in brackets above...yes, this is NOT a Post-Grunge album. This album is full of classic, 70's/80's style hard rocking goodness. That isn't to say that this is old hat or just another "retro" album from yet another Scandinavian band. No, AH have come up with something really special here.

This album sounds like it could have been recorded by a "supergroup" featuring members of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Kiss and Thin Lizzy. Imagine that for a moment if you would indulge me. Right. Got it? OK, well now prepare to be blown away by the confidence and by the amazingly catchy songs here...from the Kiss swagger of "There Goes A Lady" through to the NWOBHM stylings of "Show And Tell", the Maiden-esque brilliance of "This Ends Here" and the epic "The King Is Dead", almost every song would probably be considered a Rock classic if this had been released a couple of decades ago. It really is that good.

This is the best Classic Rock album I heard in many years. Do yourselves a favour and pick up a copy.

If you still need convincing, check out the video for "Redemption Blues" for a taster of this stunning album.