Bad Rain - 2025 - Louder Than Words

(41:12; Fastball Music)






















Track list:
1. High and Above 4:01
2. Room to Breathe 3:57
3. Louder Than Words 4:05
4. Chasing the Sun 4:32
5. Kingdom 3:57
6. Your Chains 3:57
7. Afterlife 3:34
8. Twisted Love 4:20
9. Heartattack 3:48
10. Black and Gray 5:00

Line-up:
Zoran Misic - vocals
Veit Schlembach - drums
Dani Davis - guitars
Adnan Basic - guitars
Chris Buchberger - bass
with:
Michael Wagner - guitars
Vinnie Colla - bass
Jona Raischl - keyboards, organ
David Bertok - piano, keyboards


Germany based band Bad Rain is a recent addition to the German rock scene. Initially a solo project, this venture soon turned into a proper band and in the fall of 2025 they released their debut album "Louder Than Words" through German label Fastball Music.

This is one of those bands that know their way round 1970's hard rock extremely well I would imagine, and have opted to give this classic sound a little bit of an update and makeover. Pulling it a bit closer to the post-millennium era in terms of sound and expression if you like.

It is what I'd describe as a US influenced variety of hard rock that is the cornerstone here. Blues-flavored undercurrents as well as more audible inclusions of blues elements is a common denominator throughout this production, with a little bit of an Americana touch appearing now and then too. And in addition to the music itself, the powerful and melodic vocals of lead singer Zoran Misic also comes with a bit of a blues-laden undercurrent. This in addition to being powerful, melodic and with a distinct and appealing character.

All of that being said, this isn't what one might describe as a blues based hard rock band, but rather a hard rock band that also incorporates blues elements in their excursions. They will often adopt an attitude and mode of delivery that can feel closer to early days heavy metal in parts of the songs, and while rarely if ever crossing over into the metal universe there is a bit of an ongoing flirt with a select few metal elements throughout. I also get the impression that there is a little bit of a similar aspect here with the 90s grunge tradition, with details from that tradition mainly incorporated in a subtle and more understated manner.

The type of songs comes in several different shapes here. Tight and vibrant hard rocking numbers, compositions that ebb and flow between melodic and more hard hitting passages, alongside songs that explore the contrast between the gentler or the understated with the more overt, striking and direct modes of expression. The craftsmanship is of solid quality all the way through too, from songwriting to musicianship as well as mix and production. This is one of those albums that, given the right exposure, should find an appeal among a broad general audience.

As far as debut albums go, I find this production from Bad Rain to be a literally rock solid affair. There aren't any songs here that comes across as superfluous or weaker than the others, and an album playthrough is a sheer joy for the right audience. Which in this case would be those who tend to love and appreciate a modernized and high quality take on the US hard rock tradition.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2026

Links:
https://badrainband.com/
https://www.fastball-music.com/

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