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Album Reviews : Audio Reign – Audio Reign

By on November 20, 2018

Audio Reign are a South Aussie band who have been around for a number of years now. They push the straight up and down, four on the floor hard rock agenda pretty hard, and this is simultaneously their biggest drawback and their greatest selling point.

When it comes to the former, this is a style of music in which it is almost impossible to push any kind of envelope, it is hamstrung from any kind of progression due to its very nature. If it progressed anywhere beyond what it has been for the last four decades plus, it would cease to be what it is, if you know what I mean. Thus, you feel as though you are listening to something that could have been written in 1988, rather than in 2018. That said, it is a different story as far as the actual recording is concerned, this record sounds like it was recorded this year, it has that real modern sharpness to it, the production does not sound dated at all. This is a dichotomy within the dichotomy.

On the plus side, there are still plenty of people around the nation and across the planet who still love this kind of music, so there is a serious audience out there for them.

On top of this, while the overriding vibe of the record is old school hard and heavy rock ‘n’ roll, Audio Reign make some very solid attempts to shake things up and provide some contrast and dynamics across the course of the 11 tracks on offer here. Take mid-album scorcher The Portrait for example. Opening quietly and quirkily, it veritably explodes at the 1min20 mark and strays quite strongly and confidently into old school metal territory (see what I mean about it ceasing to be what it is?). Elsewhere, they pull right back on the accelerator and give the ear a real break from the onslaught of loud guitars (Senses, Shining Lights). Then there’s Make Me Feel, a real epic at well over seven minutes, which takes you through several twists and turns across its length.

So, much kudos to these guys for trying something different within the limiting confines of their genre. The album is so much better for it. If you love the classic hard rock sound, with a sprinkling of something a little new and different on the top, check these guys and this album out, you will find much to love here.

Band: Audio Reign
Album: Audio Reign
Year: 2018
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Independent
Origin: Australia

About

Rod Whitfield is a Melbourne-based writer and retired musician who has been writing about music since 1995. He has worked for Team Rock, Beat Magazine, themusic.com.au, Heavy Mag, Mixdown, The Metal Forge, Metal Obsession and many others. He has written and published his memoirs of his life and times in the music biz, and also writes books, screenplays, short stories, blogs and more.