RADIOACTIVE – XXX

The supremely talented Tommy Denander recently put this impressive and superbly written album of his out via Frontiers Records, and this is simply a fabulous mixture of hard rock, classic rock, and AOR/melodic rock. Deftly executed, versatile, and full of excitement, the record is packed with everything from high-octane rockers to slick-sounding power ballads. You get bucketloads of crunchy rifts, strong choruses, and some rather nice surprises with respect to the song arrangements. The fact that “XXX” is bolstered by a solid production and stellar musicianship does not hurt, and apart from a couple of forgettable tracks, the LP is pretty much all quality and class with the highlights appearing tow­ard the end in the shape of “Voodoo Queen”, “Drag Me Through the Mud”, and album closer “California Ways'”. Definitely one of the better and more adventurous rock records that I have come across lately, and the different vocalists that appear throughout make sure that things never turn stale or boring.