Rockstrata Returns

Rating: 8/10

The name 'Rockstrata' is taken by every rock aficionado of Bangladesh with great respect; they established themselves as the 'first metal band of Bangladesh' -- titans on whose shoulders the rock music scene stands today. And they have been legends in the literal sense of the word; no one (of our generation) had seen them perform live, and the only image of the band available was that of five skinny guys standing in front of a pinkish wall…until quite recently, when there was word that Rockstrata were coming back with a new album, featuring the original lineup. After much speculation, anticipation and a flood of new “likes” on their official Facebook page, the new album, “Notun Shad'er Khoje” was finally out.
Right off the cover, it is vintage Rockstrata; an epitaph on a grassy meadow, with a moon in the background. The album opens with “Amar Ei Jibondhara” -- a riff intro that's more alt-rock than anything else. Mushfique Ahmed's ever-so-familiar vocals are not stretched to its awesome limits anywhere; the bass-line is solid; the guitar, very old-school Bangla rock – an overall nice track. But the band takes just about that one song to get in gear. “Gopon Kuthuri” opens with a grinding riff and a lazy, powerful groove until the drumming kicks into a thrash mode as it enters a clean, very classic guitar solo. The vocals get expressive in the latter part of the song, possibly owing to the dark lyrics, and a double-bass powered extro really leads one into the album.
“Moron Brishti” is the next song, the first name that really sounds like the old Rockstrata. The ballad is lyrically strong with gripping guitar work with a harmonised solo, but it's probably not the most memorable track of the disc. Right off its fade-out, “Dui” gallops in, with drummer Mahbubur Rashid showing that he means business. The guitar work is tight, with a lovely solo in the middle and sludgy riffing and a restless outro.
“Ektu Asha” is the first real soft number of the album, and has sweet guitar work spread all around. Mushfique's melodic tone is on display here, and he does a beautiful job, but the undisputed heroes of this song are the guitar duo of Imran and Mainul. The solo in the end is particularly blissful.
The next one is the title track, so it's only natural that expectations would be high. And it is in this one that the band shows that they are veterans; this song oozes maturity and a sense of calm. The vocal is sharp, the guitar work purposeful, the drumming oh-so-calculated; it is the lyrics of the chorus though that really hits you in the head like a hammer. A song very difficult to move on from.
“Jotsna Ranga Akash” is the next track where everything goes pretty well, but nothing really sticks out. Some of the guitar work is a little strange (read 'experimental' if you're an aforementioned uber-sensitive fan) and the lyrical breakdown is a little coerced.

In “Oshanti”, the mighty Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal (an old friend of the band), begins spraying his chaotic notes all over the song. Once again, there's a sense of proportion in every member's playing; the chorus is energetic although it's probably not the best lyrical work of the lot. Still a very solid track, especially because of the added flavour.

From the fiery “Oshanti”, we move on to “Cholo Hariye Jai” -- a happy, groovy song, easy on the ears. Arshad's beautiful bass-line holds the track, as the guitarists, for the first time, use wah-pedals and such, and lighter guitar tones. A refreshing change of scenery at the far end of the album.
The 'relaxed' mood continues in the next piece, “Ei Boshonte”, at least in its first part; for the first minute and a quarter, there's only acoustic guitars playing. But it's downhill from there. The riffs aren't the most imaginative, nor do the lyrics really push through. On the upside, Mushfique displays his full vocal range in this one. On the downside, it's possibly the only song of the lot that feels stretched.
The album closes with “Shoccho Manush”, a tight, no-nonsense track. Mushfique remains at the top of his range for most parts; the guitar work is compact, if not adventurous; and the transitions keep it interesting.
Rockstrata have not made an album for the critics, and possibly not even for the post-2010 rock-metal listening crowd. They have made an album for their loyals, and given them exactly what they've yearned for. It's not the most technical or intricate album in terms of instrumentals and it's no news that Mushfique Ahmed is not the most dynamic, polished or authoritative vocalist, but classic rock isn't supposed to be polished. It's not for dissection in the head; it's to be taken like a punch to the gut, and there's an abundance of that. The guitar tones are very 1980s' but that, I guess, is on purpose; they meant this album to be Rip-Van-Winkle-ish, and have almost entirely succeeded. The mixing, however, is one aspect with which I was not satisfied. The vocals required being more prominent on a number of tracks, and even the guitar and bass mixes weren't as top-notch as it could have been. But maybe that was the plan all along.

There's huge risk involved in attempting to review such an album, especially because loyal fans are obstinately biased and uber-sensitive and are dead sure that they know and understand music better than some dude who works at a newspaper.