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RIDERS OF ROHAN
With Hope Or Without… EP

Crypt Of The Wizard (2024)
Rating: 8/10

Like extras from some J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy, Gothenburg, Sweden-based hard rockers Riders Of Rohan return to the shire with more The Lord Of The Rings obsessed tales.

To an extent the band has remained in that hard rock style where one moment they are stirring up a Thin Lizzy vibe, the next a New Wave rock groove and then a proto-metal groove. It certainly makes for an interesting mix, particularly on opener ‘To Name A Successor’ where drummer Lisa’s vocals take on a punky Goth rock edge, while some Rolling Stones circa ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ “wooh woohs” provide a catchy, cool backdrop. It’s still sword n’ sorcery rock n’ roll, and I like it, as Mick Jagger once sneered.

Riders Of Rohan are very easy on the ears and build a rather warm and cosy sound. On ‘Evermind’ bassist Tim takes over vocal duties, his warble enchants but it’s the fluid guitar sound of Stickan that really causes the fireside glow. The chords could easily belong to a Blue Öyster Cult song; they run rich but shadowy in their almost velvet suave occult driven cool.

Fusing the Rolling Stones classic ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ with a folk haunted extract from The Wicker Man soundtrack, ‘If I Could Love’ swaggers with eeriness, from that cocksure Keith Richards riff to Lisa’s ethereal wisps. The clan concocts strange brews of fantasy and folklore as ‘Ranger Song’ again boasts a New Wave stance alongside something quintessentially British as those rainy council estate chords veer towards The Smiths or The Cure. It’s all such an interesting cauldron that worships at the Tolkien altar and yet musically it’s somewhat of a world away, and almost subdued in character and soft to the touch.

Closing track ‘Giving Up the West’ is probably the hardest track on offer here and is an interesting reworking of Thin Lizzy’s classic ‘Cowboy Song’ but with extra punk nuances. At times, Riders Of Rohan are a box of contradictions; one minute acting as hooded nerds challenging Mordor, the next a peculiar punk rock act who if existed in the mid-70s could have had an accidental hit on British television show Top Of The Pops.

Riders Of Rohan are adept at keeping us guessing and once again showcase their talent. The fact that they still remain relatively unknown is a crime, so catch the flame before they burn out.

Neil Arnold

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