Time Signature They still rock...

Shakra's latest album "Mad World" marks their 25th anniversary and, if anything, this album show that they still rock.

Roaming the transition region between hard rock and traditional heavy metal, Shakra offers up solid rockers, rich in melody, groove, power, and catchiness. It may be old-man rock, but it's tasty old-man rock with crispy guitar riffs, powerful drumming and rocking guitar solos that hit the spot. Overall, the music on the album is uplifting and full of energy and extremely enjoyable. Just check out the catchy title track 'Mad World', the high energy opener 'Fireline', or groovy 'When He Comes Around'.

The production is crisp, and neither the musicianship nor the production has any flaws. I can imagine that some people might find Mark Fox' slightly raspy vocals a bit annoying, but I really can't imagine any other singing style being a better fit for the music on this album (also, his voice reminds me of my dad's rock 'n' roll singing voice, because - yes - my old man is a rock singer, how cool is that?). Of course, that means that Mark Fox scores a couple of extra points from me.

To be honest, I was on the fence about giving this album 4 stars, but, heck, I enjoy listenening to it so much that I think that 3.5 is just too cheap! Listening to this album equals a mighty good time.

Stephen After got through this album twice, I can say that half of this album is pretty average but some of them has good choruses and suffered with weaker verses. Two best songs here are 'Save You From Yourself', pretty much agree with Grey there, and 'Don't Keep Me Hanging' is also great stuff, although the chorus is slightly patchy, if only they can fix it a bit, could be a 9 I guess.

Two ballads are quite good too. In fact, I dig 'Wonderful Life' and 'Too Good To Be True' is also a nice closer. Other potential track is 'The Mask' - this one has powerful uptempo chorus and the solos are thrilling. 'Because of You' and 'Secret Hideaway' also has potential because the chorus is pretty good but what happened to the verses, though it's extremely plain and a bit dull, too bad.

All in all, sounds pretty much like same old SHAKRA, with probably a bit more modern influenced here and there. The production is great and I really like the riffs and the killer solos. If only weaker tracks like 'Dream of Mankind', 'Stevie', or 'Dear Enemy' are polished and worked up better, this album could net a higher point from me.

Stephen 'Power Ride' is the third album and many fans called it their best. I tend to agree with it but then I found that most of SHAKRA's albums are in the same quality and quite similar to one another so it's difficult to really pick which one is the best. One thing that's obvious is 'Power Ride' is more melodic than the first two albums and greatly outlines the awesome vocal delivery of Pete Wiedmer.

'Why Don't You Call Me' is a monster opener. 'The Sun Will Shine' and 'In Your Eyes' are also equal in strength, and the semi-ballad, 'Out In The Rain', was slipped nicely before they crank this up again with 'Get It All Out'. Muster and Blunier did a fantastic job here with a monstrous riffs and abundant melodies. Probably only 'A Dollar Too Much' that can compete with that song.

'She's My Pride' is passable filler and I'm glad that's the only poor thing here. The rest are very solid, from the dark vibe on 'Tell Me' all the way to the heart-pumping, 'The Way Back Home' and 'Too Close'. You'll also be greeted with an outstanding backing vocal and some incinerating solos all the way from first song to the end. The production is also great. If you're new to SHAKRA, take 'Power Ride' for the starter, you won't be disappointed.