I am sure that all the melodic rock fans out there are surely familiar with Tommy Denander; a guitarist who had guested on numerous records, played alongside established artists and has a steady career with his own band, Radioactive. 30 years since his first professional recording experience and 7 years since the last Radioactive record, Tommy Denander strikes back with his best…yes, you read it right…his best effort so far! You see, I always thought that Denander’s albums were good but not something extraordinary…up until now, that is!

“XXX” has plenty of guest vocalists with Robin McAuley and Robbie Le Blanc standing out of the bunch. Most of the tracks have a harder and sharper aesthetic compared to the previous Denander offerings while the guitar are perfectly mixed with the vocals thus displaying a perfect end result. In addition the production is crystal clear and powerful but the most surprising element on the record is most definitely the presence of the legendary Mutt Lange! Denander co-wrote two songs with Mutt: “Move It” could have easily fit on Def leppard’s “Adrenalize” while “I Have A Dream” is more contemporary yet equally impressive.

All in all, “XXX” is a perfect melodic rock album which will be on my list of the best albums of the year. Highly recommended.

Highlight: There can only be one definite highlight: Rober John “Mutt” Lange!