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EDITORS’ NOTES

Indiana-based (U.S.A.) guitarist Jeff Rains spent the three years before making his second album, From the Ashes, touring with the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Hatebreed, and Black Stone Cherry. Rains’ own approach is melodic and song-oriented, comparable to Black Stone Cherry in the sense that both write songs that sound rooted in classic rock. But where BSC have clear Southern roots and a heaviness that comes from being a band, Rains works in the studio, primarily assembling the songs himself. “Radio Song” lives up to its title with an accessibility that should appeal to hard rock fans. The album’s first single, “Better Man” (not the Pearl Jam song), features plenty of crunch, with layers of guitars adding texture. Other album tracks—like “Ready to Begin,” “Heartless,” “Believe," and the acoustic-based but eventually electrically powered “Let It Be” (not the Beatles song)—also follow this hard-but-accessible formula. From the Ashes lives up to the promise of Rains' self-titled debut album.