Rhabstallion Back In The Saddle

Of course, one could tell now the whole story of this British band, but that would exceptionally not meet the character of the album "Back In The Saddle". So let's postpone the NWOBHM reference to a little later and talk about what this new disc means for every fan, from rockers to metalheads: a highlight of 2021, an ultimate surprise, a proof that even seasoned men can give vent to their youthful energy, and ultimately an album that perfectly fits to the Wacken campground as well as to the ghetto blaster at insider underground festivals. This tightrope walk can only work, if you don't force it on purpose, but simply celebrate the music you love, like Rhabstallion does! Of course, Rhabstallion are anything but nonames! On the cult sampler "New Electric Warriors" (1980, Logo Records), which serious NWOBHM collectors (must) have in their collection, the band made people take first notice of them. More difficult and expensive is the 1981 single "Day To Day/Breadline", which is a real rarity today. An appearance on the BBC program "Bubbling Under" was the next highlight. However, the band's career could not be built on this. For various reasons Rhabstallion disbanded despite offers from record companies. In 1994 the Vinyl Tap label released a kind of Best Of called "Day To Day" on CD and the group appeared in the NWOBHM books published by Iron Pages. Since then the name has manifested a household name in those fan and collector circles. Since 2018 Rhabstallion are back again, and even in their original line-up! Their performance at Brofest in Newcastle resulted in a lot of good reviews, partly with superlatives like "best band of the whole festival". This energy can now be found on "Back In The Saddle", which consists of old and new compositions. The production is at the upper limit of "oldschool", but just not modern. This also applies to the songs, which do not try to "mix the old with the modern", which basically fails with such acts. Rhabstallion bring traditional NWOBHM values into the year 2021, without smarming to something or someone else. Everything is genuine and authentic, yet punchy and skillfully produced - damn rare for a returning "old band"!