MAEDER – Maeder

Maeder is the self-titled debut album from Australian Hard Rockers Maeder. Maeder’s debut EP Business In Me reached the Top 30 on the Australian national charts and number one on the independent charts. They also scored the soundtrack to numerous television commercials and the song “Another Thing Comin’” was taken as the theme song for the Australian football Grand Final. Also they’ve performed live sets on music networks Channel V, MTV, and various TV shows.

The album, Maeder, starts with an AC/DC guitar riff, which is significantly close to the opening of the legendary “Highway To Hell.” “Never Last” is not a copy in any way, but the riff is very similar. Maeder seems to be influenced by lots of famous Hard Rock bands and the AC/DC influence is visible in almost all the songs on this record.

The second track on Maeder’s self-titled debut album is the first single from the record; “Another Thing Comin’.” The chorus is pretty catchy and singer Nic Maeder proves that he’s a good vocalist and really fit for the genre. He could be described as a mix between Eric Martin (ex-Mr. Big) and Magnus Ekwall (The Quill). The bass line is an easy 8th notes groove, which makes it very likeable. It’s a heavy and cool song and you really want to do an Angus Young-one-foot-walk during the guitar solo.

A number of L.A. Guns-like ballads and slow songs follow, but it’s not until the fifth track, “Business Is Mine,” that this record really gets to you. The riff is kind of Zeppelin-like and is really catchy. This one is pure Rock ‘N’ Roll and no compromises have been done here.
“Night And Day” is the most beautiful ballad on the record. It features acoustic guitars and even a cello.

The production is quite good and all the instruments are easy to hear in the mix. A small drawback on this album is all the ballads. The ratio seems to be approximately 50-50 between hard rockers and ballads. Maeder seems to have written with mainstream success in mind, and you could say that they’ve managed just that. However, fans should hope they can create an album that’s written with only the music in mind, and not the charts for the time to come.

The material on this record isn’t the most original, but it’s often catchy and well-written. The songs vary in length from two to four minutes, and with the exception of a few boring songs, there’s not a lot of dead time on this record. There are a few songs that tend to be a little too AC/DC-inspired, like the songs “Never Last” and “It’s All Good,” but in the end Maeder is a highly likeable album with loads of good Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Lineup

Nic Maeder – Vocals, guitars
Seb V Maeder – Guitars
Kit Riley – Bass
Travis Dragani – Drums