GETREADYTOROCK's 5/5
review, leading to VALHALLA being voted the best
album of 2009
The album
title may not be original and the band name may have
done the rounds for close on 40 years, but with ‘Valhalla’
Del Bromham has just cut his best ever album. From the
excellent art work of bass player Stuart Uren to Del’s
effervescent guitar work and his best ever vocal performance,
‘Valhalla’ is a triumph. And the main reason
for the quantum leap is simply the consistency of the
kick ass rock songs, the thoughtful lyrics and a state
of the art production that is easily the best in Stray’s
career. ‘Vahalla’ rocks from the off with
a big drum sound and the sort of killer guitar work
that anyone who has witnessed this power trio would
expect. It’s hard to believe Del only stepped
out to belatedly front his own version of Stray in the
mid 90s.
Quite why
he never did this before is as much to do with the band’s
democracy of old as with his self deprecating lack of
confidence. But that clearly is in the past because
‘Vahalla’ is the sort of powerful rock album
that will surely cement the current resurrection of
Stray’s recording career.
From the
soaring guitars of the opening ‘Move a Mountain’
to the Zeppelin influenced ‘Dirt Finger, this
album takes no prisoners. And while the hard rock edge
is given a welcome and powerful update by producer Chris
Tsangarides (Gary Moore, Lizzy, Malmsteen, Sabbath),
it is songs such as ‘1600 Pennsylvania Avenue’
that push this CD to the very top of Del’s recording
output. The above track combines a cutting edge rock
arrangement a with poignant lyrics and a big chorus,
while the following ‘Free At Last’ rocks
out with rare abandon and is destined to become a live
favourite.
There can be very few bands who in their fifth decade
cut a career best album, but Del’s has managed
it with plenty to spare. He relishes the big studio
sound and the intuitive production that tellingly pays
as much attention to his vocals as to his characteristic
rocking edge. But when it does come to the guitar parts
suffice it to say that Bromham’s playing is a
joy, being full of imaginative runs, colourful tones
and oodles of dexterity. On ‘Free at Last’
he’s pushed to the limit by a killer rhythm section
and cleverly unravels the song’s dynamic as the
solo careers into a wall of psychedelic wah wah and
arpeggios, leaving the listener with nothing to do but
crank up the volume and enjoy!
Del further
adds some sterling guitar work on the impressive historical
biography of ‘Harry Farr’ a number that
is carried along on the back of an impressive melody
line, a pounding rhythm track, some venomous lyrics
and a U2 style sing-along chorus. This really is cracking
stuff.
For the
rest there’s a mix of riff driven guitar work,
a tough rocker in the shape of ‘Sing(The Song)’
and some unlikely 70’s ‘Shaft’ sounding
funk and synth-strings on ‘Rainy Days Blues’.
Drummer Karl Randall even adds a staccato Rush style
drum pattern on ‘24/7’ with Del blazing
his way through several chord changes before the hugely
enjoyable album finishes with some refracted Beatlesy
vocal touches on the closing ‘You’.
‘Valhalla’
is an album that showcases both Del’s strengths
singularly and the band’s abrasive style collectively
and unlike just about anyone else from his era, ‘Valhalla’
has dragged the band’s 70’s rooted brand
name into the 21st century with plenty to spare.
