Riff Reign is a six-piece rock band formed in 2014 by guitarist and bass player David Wright. With a long history in making music and playing in bands for almost 30 years but eventually giving up music to focus on his local government career, he got back to playing in 2012 at the age of 64. Hailing from Worksop, United Kingdom Riff Reign have self-released a total of six albums plus a bunch of smaller releases. Not bad at all for a band that’s only just 5 years old.

Right now we are listening to their latest full-length entitled ‘Magician’. The album spans just a little over 42 minutes, which are spread across twelve pure rock tracks. Riff Reign are a very vocal-driven band. The exciting vocals and the diversity in them is among their main strengths. With both a female vocalist (Linda) and male vocalists (Chris and Russ) you are guaranteed to be constantly and pleasantly surprised by the varying vibes on the album. The biggest part of the singing is handled superbly by Linda but for example on the more melancholic ‘When I see Her Smile’ or the banging ‘Movin’ the male voices take over the lead and this makes for a nice change in the flow of the record.

Being a UK band, whose founder has been born and raised on the music of the 1960s it comes as no surprise that Riff Reign feel heavily influenced by the likes of Free, Jethro Tull, and The Beatles. However, ‘Magician’ is such a varying and dynamic album that you quickly forget to study its sounds and hidden references too closely. You just get in the mood for some old school rock and roll and simply enjoy the music. The playful bass lines, the melodic and precise guitar solos, the precise and powerful drumming from Rich, the sincere vocals and lyrics, the pumping tempos that rarely slow down… It all really manages to take you back to the golden age of rock. Sound-wise the record feels far from being overproduced and sterile. Instead, it retains a more organic, almost live sound which is the final piece of the ‘Magician’ being a much-recommended addition to any rock and roll aficionado’s music collection.