This is not just heavy Blues Rock with a 70s retro feel. This is a tour de force with elegant lyricism, transcendent intensity, and clear technical command. Each of the band members show musical maturity that is rarely demonstrated in this genre, with great dynamic breadth and deft phrasing. Riffmeister Martin J. Andersen, in particular, is to be commended for taking Blues Rock guitar to new heights and, when he teams up with Lance Lopez, as he does on one of the CD's premier tracks, making history by laying down some of the most fluid and tasteful playing known to man. This is enough to make Jimi smile!  Blindstone give listeners a blues-funk experience they will not soon forget. We're talking about a heavy guitar power trio that go beyond the usual blur of notes, with its customary barrage of cascading arpeggio runs. Oh, there's plenty of that, too, but with more taste than you've ever heard before. This is not just a flurry of notes and meaningless guitar gymnastics. This is a symphony of blues-rock bliss, a guitar with a voice, and a band with a vision. --Steven J. Rosen (Author) (September 2008)We were lucky enough to get an advanced listening to Freedom s Calling prior to its official street date and have been anxiously awaiting the full version to arrive in the post. Now that it s here, it is no small undertaking to digest the immense amount of heavy blues-rock that pours out of this opus including the mind-blowing Frank Marino cover Had Enough that features a guest appearance by Texan guitarist Lance Lopez. Hailing from Denmark, Blindstone is a power trio that features Martin J. Andersen on guitar / vocals, with bassist Jesper Bunk and drummer Anders Hvidtfeldt. Originally formed in 2001, the band has made it their mission to resurrect the pure essence of 70s rock that aligns with Hendrix, Trower, Marino and Funkadelic s Eddie Hazel. The nucleus of this musical hurricane is the world-class axe master MJ Andersen whose skill with six strings is equally on par with the true greats of the instrument. He slices, dices and boogies his way through a dizzying array of high-powered, riff-heavy tunes guaranteed to blow your mind.  Freedom s Calling is the band s second disc following their 2003 debut Manifesto. It concentrates on the group s ability to write original material while still keeping the sprit of real rock guitar clearly intact. It also just may be the heaviest record The Grooveyard has produced to date in some cases walking the line toward heavy metal. The title cut Freedom s Calling charges out like an enraged rhino with a thunderous roar. The guitar twists and turns through a minefield of bombastic bass and super-sonic drumbeats while the soulful voice fuses it all together. A key selling point is Andersen s raspy vocal chops. Melodic and powerful, it come close to higher registered Davey Pattison (Robin Trower, Gamma) or even Jeff Scott Soto in the more funky moments. The hook-filled Can t be with You, a Montrose-inspired I d Quit and strutting She s So Pretty are essential listening for those who still hanker for mean, sweat-soaked guitar rock.  Both Good Time and the phat Waste A Little Time on Me are compact Mahogany Rush drenched in the blues with dynamic solo stretches. Hang onto My Love is a beefy ZZ Top boogie number with a ton of swagger and plenty of juice in the engine. Andersen s voice is augmented for texture while his guitar feeds off the wah wah to maximize a head full of angled distortion and crushing density. The lead-footed Sugar Room is all in the bass and drum groove with stoner distortion and Fu Manchu riffs. Below-the-belt double-entendres buzz about like bees to honey making the most out of clever little lines like I can t get out of this hole / the sugar room s got my soul and my skin is on fire / it s an aching desire / it s payment by the hour . The 15-minute Scorpion-esque reprise at record s end adds an acoustic element that builds into a majestic firestorm of music and politics. --Todd K. Smith (The Cutting Edge) (September 2008)