Year : 2016
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Hair Metal
Country : Australia
Audio : 320 kbps + front + Video
Size : 128 mb
Info:
Just what style of music is the Australian trio, Ragdoll? Incorporating a wide variety of styles into their own sound, the band - comprised of members Ryan Rafferty (lead vocals, bass), Leon Todd (guitar), and Cam Barrett (drums) - is certain to appeal to a wide variety of rock fans. "We focus on melody, musicianship, and emotional conviction," the band explains. "We’ve been called everything from 'Arena Rock' to 'Hair Grunge,' and it’s rare two people ever compare us to the same band. We feel with each release we develop a unique Ragdoll sound more and more. We don’t play by the conventional rock rules and try to sound like anyone else, we just write music that we love to play and listen to."The Ragdoll story begins in Perth, when Cam and Leon played together in various bands over an eight-year span, before crossing paths with Ryan (who was singing in a cover band at the time). After realizing they were all on the same page musically, Ragdoll was soon formed. And regarding their name, it was not plucked from where you may assume. "A lot of people immediately assume the Aerosmith song or some sort of sexual fetish. The truth is Cam had the most gorgeous Ragdoll cat and we named the band after her. Being three hairy, scruffy musicians we feel the name also describes us rather aptly!"Issuing two EP's ('Ragdoll Rock' and 'Here Today'), the trio compiled both together on the 2014 release, 'Ragdoll Rewound,' which also includes live tracks and a new composition, "Rewind Your Mind." The trio revisited the first EP and had it remixed and polished the way they had always wanted to hear it. Songs like 'Foot to the Floor' sound leaner and meaner while 'The Feeling' is even more epic! Any issues the band may have had with the original 'Here Today' master that have been fully rectified here too; the new master of 'Tell Me' in particular is a lot more dynamic and more true to the original mix.As far as the live recordings, Ragdoll feel it's as close to the real deal as you can get…without actually attending a concert. "We chose to include the live tracks raw and unpolished; an official bootleg for any of our fans who haven’t seen us live yet. We’re so excited about the new song on there, 'Rewind Your Mind,' we decided to name the tour after it! It’s the most up to date record of where we’re at as a band and it let’s our individual and collective personalities really shine through with the trademark Ragdoll mix of melody, groove and riffage!"Ragdoll was also willing to pick their favorite tracks off 'Ragdoll Rewound.' "'Tell Me' is the perfect exposition of where we come from as musicians and we love opening with it and seeing people move and shake their bodies with that groove. Similarly, 'All I Want' is our favorite song to close with; a sledgehammer riff together with a quirky arrangement and a super catchy hook! While we love to riff, we love sharing our experiences from the road and life in general with more expansive tracks like 'Self Censored,' 'Could it be Love,' and 'Irreplaceable.' Songs like 'Here Today,' 'Astray,' and 'Ashamed' explore some darker themes and are particularly intense to play live. While there’s a definite Ragdoll sound, we think all our material stacks up against itself and there’s not really a definitive favorite track."And it sounds like Ragdoll will be quite busy for the remainder of 2014. "We’re returning to the USA in May and June to tour in support of 'Ragdoll Rewound,' and return to Rocklahoma for the third straight year. We’re doing twenty shows, starting in California, then the Midwest and culminating in Vegas. We’ll be rolling out a new music video and a whole new line of merchandise; everything from tee shirts and CD’s to condoms and slap bands! We’ll then return home for the Australian launch of the record before entering the studio to record the material we’ve prepared for our fourth all original studio release."Lastly, what can fans expect from seeing Ragdoll in concert? "Playing live is the bottom line for us and we try to pour as much energy and intensity into every performance as possible. There’s only three of us but we make a lot of noise, and Ryan’s vocals need to be experienced to be fully appreciated!"
Album:
Perth three piece Ragdoll have been playing locally and all over the U.S.A for 6 years, and it’s taken them that long to drop their debut LP ‘Back To Zero’. The term ‘debut’ had me slightly confused as I have a copy of ‘Rewound’ on regular rotation, but the confusion was cleared up after guitarist Leon Todd told me ‘Rewound’ was a remastered and remixed combination of their first two EP’s.Back-to-Zero So confused reviewer out of the way, ‘Back To Zero’ is not a huge departure from Ragdoll’s previous releases – but that’s a good thing. What it is is a big step forward both musically and lyrically.From the opening title track, a spooky short instrumental transitions seamlessly into ‘Shine’, where we hear Ryan Rafferty’s unmistakable vocals for the first time combined with Leon Todd’s low crunching guitar and Cam Barrett’s straight out rock drumming. It’s a fairly laid back track with a nice hook easing the listener into the album ahead. ‘Playing God’ continues in a similar vein, picking up the tempo as Todd breaks loose on a scorching solo for the first, but certainly not last time on the album. The boys then have a bit of commentary on the social media addiction that is now part of living in the 21st century with ‘The World You Gave Us’. Another straight down the line rock song destined for high rotation on FM rock radio (if such a thing still exists).‘Rewind Your Mind’ was released as a single back in 2015 and it jumps into the mid-point of the album. It’s just another great rock track and crowd favourite whenever it’s played live. Todd’s low crunching guitar kicks off ‘The Last Time’ asking the question “when was the last time you did something for the first time?” This song conjures up Sammy Hagar era Van Halen, yet fits perfectly in 2016. Next track ‘Letting Go’ is an up-tempo rocker which tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence, and at just over three minutes is short sharp and right to the point.More dark lyrics in ‘Dreaming Out Loud’ and, like so much of the album, harks back musically to the hard rock of the 70’s or 80’s, with a distinctive Aerosmith flavour. ‘Save Me’ changes things up again, with complex timing changes switching from straight out rock to an almost funky groove courtesy of Ryan Rafferty’s sublime bass playing. It took a few listens to really appreciate this song, and I’m glad I didn’t discount it right away as it’s a highlight. ‘Love On The Run’ is a huge driving, foot stomping rock song that reminds me of the best Bon Jovi has to offer (no offence to the boys from New Jersey but I’d rather listen to Ragdoll any day).The album starts and ends with an instrumental track, the latter an almost psychedelic piece with ‘Kungfoolery’.‘Back To Zero’ is Ragdoll showing what three hairy blokes with a ton of drive and bucketloads of talent can do. They’ve created a no-nonsense hard rock album that rightly belongs in any fan of the genre’s collection.
Line Up:
Ryan -Bass/Vocals
Cam - Drums
Leon - Guitar
Tracklist:
01. Back To Zero
02. Shine
03. Playing God
04. The World You Gave Us
05. Rewind Your Mind
06. The Last Time
07. Letting Go
08. Dreaming Out Loud
09. Save Me
10. Love On The Run
11. Kungfoolery
12. All I Want
13. Rewind Your Mind (Live)
+ Video "Rewind Your Mind" (Official Video)
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