Featherstone - Northern Rumble

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FEATHERSTONE is a Melodic Hard Rock band based out of the capital city of Sweden. “Northern Rumble” is their debut album, and contains ten tracks. There has been a resurgence of AOR and Melodic Hard Rock over the past several years, and Sweden has always been a hot bed for melody. Some of this music however has been hit or miss for me, so let’s see how the debut album from FEATHERSTONE fares. “I Need Myself The Most” is a good start. The vocals are soul-laden and the jovial nature of the sound points to a sort of positive outlook to a forthcoming difficult situation, and remembering the resources one has in themselves. “Leave Me Be” has a swinging, upbeat tempo and a sonorous chorus that resonates with sweet harmonies and emotional pull.

“Look Into My Eyes” is another memorable track with some more energy that hints at a stalwart stance as Lars sings “you can’t bring me down.” The little fade out at the end is a nice touch as well. Had this been a little heavier, it could be a song you might find on a DOKKEN album. “Hold Onto Love” is another song that fuses their pervasive lyrical sense of hope with tender guitar melodies and one track where the bass guitar can be heard more prominently and it makes good use of presence. I like the tribute to the beauty of our Nordic countries with the song entitled “Scandinavian Rose.” In many ways this is a fitting title to some of the music we have enjoyed from these countries in particular. “Fear Me, Save Me” reminds me of early WHITESNAKE.” Perhaps it’s the earnest vocal performance or the way simple, bluesy riff harkens back to that time. Either way it works. David Coverdale always had a way of gut-wrenching vocals and his foot planted firmly back into the giants of the Classic Rock sound, and I believe this song is in that vein.

“Part Of Me” is the closing song and perhaps the one that stuck with me most. It’s an ode to the importance of a strong relationship and the connection between two people that can be greater than the sum of both individually. This is the kind of pleasure that makes music so great. “Northern Rumble” is a debut album with potential for sure. Simple but effective melodies are presented and the band clearly has emotional investment in their music. Some of the tracks could be a little meatier and that is about the only area that keeps it from being a breakout album in the style.

Songwriting: 6
Originality: 6
Memorability: 6
Production: 8