By Maxazine South Africa 
Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews today.
Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho
RAM – Against
Seven years after “The Throne Within”, RAM are back, and those Swedes act as if nothing has changed. Fortunately. “Against” is a heavy metal album like they used to make them, with sharp guitars on the bridge pickups and drums that are allowed to reverberate freely in a large recording room. The production is organic, direct and unpolished. Singer Oscar Carlquist says that the album is about people who are pushed to their limit and say that enough is enough. “Abattoir” is pure speed metal that brings Exodus and Accept to mind, “Night Blade” shows the return of the simple, old-fashioned riff and “One Vs. All” immediately follows. Closer “The Final Hour” sounds like a world entering its final hours. Eleven songs, not a second wasted, and you simply nod along without even realising it. No new paths are taken, and that is not necessary either. This is metal for those who still know why the music was once so exciting. Turn it up loud, put on your leather jacket and let the neighbours complain. (Daniel Harris) (9/10) (Metal Blade Records)
Basht. – Poor Advice
Basht. from Dublin make their debut with “Poor Advice”, a concept album of ten songs about the grip of church and state on Ireland. Producer Ali Chant, known for Dry Cleaning and PJ Harvey, keeps the sound sharp and bare. Opener “Dive” immediately sets the tone with an uncomfortable rhythm, after which singles such as “Terror TV”, “Keira Knightley” and “Perfume” combine fast post-punk with a dusky atmosphere. Singer Jack Leavey tells about a boy who frees himself from the church pew, a character who also appears on the cover. “Circadia” grows into a screaming, reverberating outburst, while “Kids Vs Guns” opts instead for a swaying lament about lost youth. The band previously released two EPs, “Dirty White Lies” and “Bitter And Twisted”, and that experience can be heard in the controlled build-up. Darker and lighter moments alternate, so that the album remains engaging. The title track “Poor Advice” closes with a glimmer of hope. The social commentary is expressed directly and without detours, while the execution remains compact and disciplined. A convincing debut that leaves little to the imagination. (Cian Murphy) (8/10) (LAB Records)
Jochen Volpert – Eleven
Jochen Volpert comes from Gerbrunn, near Würzburg in Lower Franconia. He has been playing as a guitarist in various bands and line-ups for many years and moves mainly within the field of modern blues guitar. His first solo album appeared in 2010 and his eleventh has recently been released, simply bearing the title “Eleven”. On this album, Volpert is accompanied by his regular studio musicians Achim Gössl (Rhodes, organ, synthesiser), Dirk Blümlein (bass) and Jan Hees (drums). In addition, he receives assistance from master guitarist Gregor Hilden. The album contains nine instrumental songs, all written by Volpert. For those who are familiar with Volpert’s work, in other words the blues, “Eleven” nevertheless requires a slight change of perspective. The album encompasses much more than just blues and offers the listener a varied journey through disco, soul, jazz and rock, and of course the blues is not absent. This is immediately clear with the first song, “Roller Blades”, a genuine disco number that evokes memories of the Philly sound of the seventies. In “Marvin”, an ode to Marvin Gaye, Jochen receives support from Gregor Hilden. It is very beautiful to hear the styles of both guitar masters alongside each other. We hear Latin rhythms in “Amigos”, before there is some serious rocking in “Emergency” and with “Space Blues” we are nevertheless treated to an excellent blues number. The organ brings Jimmy Smith to mind and Jochen plays brilliantly. In short, a beautiful and very varied album. A fine musical journey on an album that remains surprising and interesting from beginning to end. (8/10) (Self-produced)
Sheryl Crow – Pick You Up
With “Pick You Up”, Sheryl Crow releases her twelfth album, the follow-up to “Evolution” from 2024. Seven songs in twenty-five minutes make it a short record, which sometimes feels like a hurried selection of available songs. Thematically, the line is clear: isolation, recovery and contact between people. “Freight Train” opens soberly and shows how loneliness rarely belongs to just one person. In the title track “Pick You Up”, she promises without grand gestures to pick someone up when needed, a down-to-earth form of comfort. “Flat Earth” sounds sharper and leaves room for unease, while “Freedom Bus” with Jesse Welles takes on a political undertone without preaching. The music leans on rock and Americana, without Crow trying to recreate her past. Her voice takes centre stage and the arrangements remain modest. As a result, the record works as a small, direct statement rather than a grand statement. You miss a second half, but what is there is honest and purposeful. A compact album that does what the title promises. (Cian Murphy) (7/10) (Old Green Barn Productions)
B.B. King – The Montreux Years
The Montreux Jazz Festival is an annual event on the shores of Lake Geneva, in the Swiss town of Montreux. Over the years, the festival has welcomed countless big names and is known for its excellent acoustics. The video recordings of many legendary performances have also acquired a special status and have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Names such as Bill Evans, Miles Davis and Nina Simone represent just a few of the jazz legends who have stood on the stage there. But big names from the pop and rock world have also appeared, such as Deep Purple, Tori Amos and, more recently, London Grammar. In recent years, special performances from the festival’s history have been reissued under the name The Montreux Years. This time, blues legend B.B. King is at the centre, who died in 2015 at the age of 89. King performed at the festival several times. These exclusive live recordings have been restored and brought together on B.B. King – The Montreux Years. The album contains nine performances that the blues great gave in Montreux between 1982 and 2000. A wonderful anthology from his rich body of work and an indispensable document for the true blues lover, but certainly also for music lovers beyond that. Turn the volume up and let Lucille occupy the space. (Bart van de Sande) (8/10) (BMG)
Daniel Harris 
Rik Moors