• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

March 2025

• Phil X & The Drills: Pow! Right In The Kisser
• IQ: Dominion
• Heart Line: Falling Heaven
• Gotthard: Stereo Crush
• Defender: Dying To Live
• Streetlight: Night Vision

February 2025

• Robin McAuley: Soulbound
• Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
• Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
• Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
• Dream Theater: Parasomnia
• Tyran: Tyran's Oath
• Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
• The Ferrymen: Iron Will
• Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
• Bonfire: Higher Ground
• The Big Deal: Electrified
• Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

• Sunstorm: Restless Fight
• Storace: Crossfire
• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

[ More Music Reviews ]

Radioactive: XXX

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR

5.0/5.0

Facebook Instagram
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 09.03.2022 | Released: 11.03.2022

There's a great many veterans in the melodic rock and metal industry. One of those is Swedish guitarist/songwriter/producer Tommy Denander whose resume for working with some many great bands and artists, looks like a who's who of the genre. His Radioactive project, begun in 1991, has often taken a back seat to his ongoing studio work for other bands. But now this talented fellow has returned with his fifth Radioactive album, XXX, which features multiple veteran vocalists including Daniel Byrne, Robbie Lablanc, Jerome Mazza, and Robin McAuley.

Radioactive: Tommy Denander

Simply said, XXX is a killer album. (Which should translate to the reader: buy the album, now.) Denander is at his finest with this one. By this I mean, if there's anything that Mr Denander is very good at it's two things: writing great songs and delivering terrific guitar work. To the former, Denander is able to blend the most important elements in melodic hard rock: song melody and harmony, catchy rock rhythm and groove, and memorable. Add AOR accessibility, perhaps some metal edge, and outstanding guitar solos and you have the perfect musical storm. As for the former, Denander is by far one of the best guitarist's on the planet. With his guitar solos, the man deals. As for the multiple vocals? That's always the wild card and mostly left to your personal taste.

I already said that you should buy this album, immediately. But I want to mention just a few songs, some favorites, that distil all those aforementioned qualities into one song. These would include Move It, Youman Unkind, the very catchy Monkey On Our Backs, and the bit softer AOR anthemic ballad Written In The Scars, featuring popular Norwegian vocalist Christian Ingebrigtsen. Denander's guitar lines terrific, nearly sublime in their tone and efficiency.

All said, Tommy Denander's Radioactive and XXX is a sure hit, some of the best AOR melodic hard rock you will find. Quite recommended. Now I have to make a tough choice for album of the week: Radioactive or the New Horizon debut.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

All said, Tommy Denander's Radioactive and XXX is a sure hit, some of the best AOR melodic hard rock you will find. Quite recommended.

Alphabetical Index

After a brief three year absence from the studio, Swedish rockers Perfect Plan return with their fourth long player, Heart Of A Plan. This arrives after their vocalist, Kent Hilli, has been involved in a few other projects ... [ Read More ]

• Views: 13K
• Active Users: 3.5K
• New Users: 2.8K
• Event Count: 39K

Source: Google Analytics