Kansas City natives Vänlade have put together a nice little package here, paying tribute to some of the bands that have made them the people they are today, and, for the most part, the project is a success.

Half a dozen tracks have been lined up for your delectation, with a fast and furious take on Saxon’s Fire in the Sky being my particular favourite; However the versions of Rush’s Bastille Day and Riding on the Wind by Judas Priest are both pretty sterling too. The package is rounded out by a spirited take on Heart’s Barracuda – I’ve heard some bands with male singers come a severe cropper on this track in the past, but Brett Blackout Scott acquits himself pretty well – Black Sabbath’s Never Say Die and the partial title track, Kansas’s Carry On Wayward Son.

This final track is probably where the band have most difficulty doing justice to the original, and whilst it doesn’t stink, it’s not quite as effective as the straight up metal which seems to be where the band is most effective.

Still, all in all it’s a rollicking good listen and I’m now looking forward to getting my ears around some of the band’s original material.