Review 31/01/10- Rockburn "Rockburn"

SCREAMLITE RECORDS LTD REVIEW FORM


Band Name: Rockburn

CD Title: Rockburn

Press Pack Included: Yes

Review: First off, the press pack included with this CD is very concise and includes all the information needed to make easy contact with the band. The review page is very enlightening, giving us a brief overview of how they’re often labelled. Some of the information regarding where their songs were being played demonstrated their capabilities (Anfield being a particular highlight) and their reach. The photos included showed them both staged and in the middle of performing, making it easy to see how album inserts and promo material would look. The sticker was a much appreciated personal touch.

The demo itself immediately got us dancing, which is a fantastic sign when it comes to a band who are heavily connected with their 70’s blues rock. “Red Dress” had some issues with the sound quality (there seemed to be a muffled hiss throughout-this could be a reproduction issue) but nothing that could not be ignored. The first 2 tracks were typical blues rock stompers with catchy riffs and drum beats. The vocals were raspy and well executed, putting us in mind of a young Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin I/II era) and everything was mixed in equal measure. The final track of the demo “The Last Stop” demonstrated a new dynamic, still classic blues but with country touches, again all mixed beautifully. Despite this being an under-represented genre in the modern alternative rock scene (The White Stripes being the flag carriers for the genre) this still has a sense of the new about it, no bad thing in itself. A modern twist on something as well regarded as 70’s blues rock shows how Rockburn have been creative in their approach.

The presentation of the disc itself could have been a little better, maybe including rough artwork, but overall this is a cracking little demo with a band who already have high expectations with airplay at Parkhead & Anfield (Celtic & Liverpool FC respectively) and thoroughly deserve more.