Menchen Bio

It was the fall of 2007 and Retroactive Records owner Matt Hunt asked guitarist Bill Menchen to record a second The Seventh Power album. “And while you are at it, “Matt added, “Why don’t you also put together an instrumental CD with Robert Sweet”. Unduly inspired, Bill proceeded to throw together some new material and, once Robert had finished tracking the drums, recruited Tony Franklin (Whitesnake, Blue Murder) to handle bass guitar duties. After Matt heard what the three had come up with in the studio, he could not help but say “This is too good not to have vocals”. So the search began for a singer with the end result being Ken Redding (His Witness). With its final line up in place, the new four piece unit decided upon the moniker Menchen – at the suggestion of Matt – before putting the finishing touches on its fall of 2008 full length Retroactive debut Red Rock.



What we have in Menchen is straightforward hard rock with the occasional groove, blues, metal and funk overtone. No, this might not be as consistently heavy as the artists’ recent efforts with The Seventh Power (Dominion & Power) and Titanic (Full Steam Ahead), but if you enjoy early 90’s Bride, Die Happy, Red Sea and the V-Rats then Red Rock is certain to appeal to you. Those into the various projects in which Bill Menchen has participated – and by no means am I inviting a direct comparison – should find a lot to like here as well.



Red Rock, for a lack of better words, features some of the finest compositions from Bill Menchen to date. And nowhere is this better evident than on mid-paced pieces “Noon Sun”, “Forty” and “Time To Ride” (great hooks on these three) along with the equally tempered groove of “Shifting Sands” and ploddingly creative “Snowy Plain”. An upbeat direction is taken on “Train Crossing” (catchy hook here as well) and “Wild Wind Blow” (nice use of organ made on this one) while “Desert Rain” delivers a refreshing touch of the progressive.



When taking into consideration the talent at hand - Ken Redding, Bill Menchen, Robert Sweet and Tony Franklin – Menchen can best be described as an all star project.