RASPBERRY PARK – Scratchin’ The Surface (2014)

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We had the pleasure to present here at 0dayrox the advanced single from new Danish outfit RASPBERRY PARK, and now the band are releasing their debut “Scratchin’ The Surface”, a disc that all fans of classy Melodic Rock, Hard Rock and AOR have to check it up.

Developed first as a songwriting team for other artists, Mikkel Bryde (vocals, keyboards) and Jes Kirstein (guitar) discovered they would rather play their own music, than let others do it. Therefore, they built a band and Raspberry Park was born from veterans of Denmark’s rock music scene.
What these guys plays here is classic sounding American Melodic Rock with AOR & Hard Rockin’ moments akin Giant, Hardline or Night Ranger with European touches like Dare or Alfonzetti.

And you’ll love it. Because since the first bits of opener “On The Battlefield” you’ll discover a mature band with a very special feel, faithful to the classic patterns of the genre but smarter and subtle, with efficient arrangements obviously focused on the melodic side however still providing fresh structures and a vivid spirit.
There’s more edgier songs like “Paradise”, “Let Them Burn”, “Straight to the Bone” and “Dangerous Zone” with stronger riffs and a thick bottom end. Yet, none these skimp on groove, melody or crackin’ guitar solos.

Raspberry Park takes a turn towards AOR with other songs like the breeze, bouncy and tasty chorus of “Can’t Get Out”, the slow burning of “I’m The Only One” and the radio-friendly, arena anthem ready, groove and guitar driven “Friends & Lovers”, a definitive favorite.
The ballad on the CD arrives with “One Second”, which features mostly Bryde’s warm raspy vocals and his piano. His throat is varied in range, and while on the uptempo songs he rocks with a bluesy hard rock imprint, on this mellow tune he sounds truly intimate.

A wonderful surprise has arrived from Denmark: Raspberry Park.
The musicians involved here are all experienced veterans of the Scandinavian scene and it’s quite obvious, as all the songs in “Scratchin’ The Surface” sound flawless from start to finish, lean on a strong and catchy songwriting and you can’t find any filler on sight.
The extraordinary musicality of Raspberry Park is enhanced by an impressive state-of-the-art sonic design, really really classy through a crisp production.
Known for a quite heavy artist roster, the first try for Power Prog Records with the Melodic Rock / AOR genre in the form of Raspberry Park is a perfect triumph, but with those highly talented players it was not risky and it was another sublime strategic move in order to permanently implanted their name in the Melodic Rock scene of today.
Don’t miss Raspberry Park’s “Scratchin’ The Surface”. It’s Highly Recommended by this blog.

01 – On The Battlefield
02 – Dangerous Zone
03 – Paradise
04 – Can’t Get Out
05 – Straight To The Bone
06 – I’m The Only One
07 – Friends & Lovers
08 – I’ll Stay
09 – The Message
10 – Make Me Wonder
11 – Let Them Burn
12 – One Second

Mikkel Bryde – Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Jes Kirstein – Guitars
Jesper Andersen – Drums
Morten Maltesen – Bass

BUY IT !
www.imusic.dk/cd/4260115032273/raspberry-park-2014-scratchin-the-surface-cd
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