SCOTT ROCKENFIELD (ex Queensryche) – Unchained (2025)

SCOTT ROCKENFIELD, five-time-Grammy-nominated composer, and founding member/drummer of the legendary hard rock band QUEENSRŸCHE, is releasing of his new solo album “Unchained”. The title may be a reference to the legal dispute Rockenfield initiated with his former band several years ago, but also his famous ‘Rock Chain Drum Kit’.

So over 8 years after leaving the famous band, Scott Rockenfield presents this 10-tracker musically very different to Queensryche. Scott define “Unchained” as a genre-defying project. And that’s pretty true.
Fans of Queensryche and Scott know that for the last two decades he also makes his living writing & performing music for films, commercials, video games, including blockbuster projects such as “Jason Bourne”, “Elysium”, “Call Of Duty” and “Iron Man And His Awesome Friends”. And you can hear some of that on “Unchained”.
The record deliver song-format music somewhere between Sixx:AM, Shinedown, and the 2000’s band Scott was part of; Slave to the System. For the most part anthemic rockers with catchy choruses. However, the album sounds like no-other.

Working for years in movie scores, Rockenfield has become an expert in musical digital edition, and alongside sharp guitars and hard hitting drums, all songs have an ‘orchestration’ in the background. It isn’t a ‘synths thing’ per se, but more like layers of sound creating a different atmosphere not typical in rock music.
There’s some musicians listed in the personnel, however their role isn’t specified. I’m afraid Scott is at charge of most what we hear on “Unchained”, not sure if a ‘genre-defying’ album, but very interesting for sure.

As said, while the songs’ sound are atypical, at the end of the day all are hard rock songs clocking around the 4 minute mark. Among the highlights there’s the stadium-ready midtempo ‘A Light in the Dark’, the groovy modern ‘Judas Kiss’, and the pretty heavy ‘Born To Win’. Scott deliver variation with the modern country-ish ‘Fallen Soldier’, which tells the story of a fallen soldier’s widow.

“Unchained” is a very interesting album from Scott Rockenfield, musically not living at the shadow of Queenryche.
There’s some songs modern rock sounding, not bad at all, but due to the arrangements / layers, feel like written for cheesy movie soundtracks. On the other hand, we find compelling tracks, well-written and sonically trying to offer something new in the current Rock scene.

01 – Sunlight Thief
02 – Born To Win
03 – Walking Man
04 – A Light In The Dark
05 – Wasteland
06 – Where Angels Fly
07 – Judas Kiss
08 – Fallen Soldier
09 – My Superhero
10 – Warrior

Scott Rockenfield
Sean Gray (Wolfjamband)
Jzrik
Julia M
Tom Wells

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