Released in 2026, “World So Wonderful” is the second album by Glaswegian rockers Mason Hill. It feels like Mason Hill have been away a while and the reality is, it has been a while. They released their debut album back in 2021, followed by touring until singer Scott Taylor left the band due to health concerns in 2023. The band tirelessly looked for a replacement and it sounds like at points they were on the verge of giving up. Then came along one Tom Ward who joined the band in September 2026. Fast forward a year and this brings us to the release of “World So Wonderful”.
So, what
impact has the new singer had on the band.
When a vocalist is replaced you always wonder if they will be able to match
singing the old songs like the original singer while forging a new path. To be honest I think the old singer and new
singer have very similar vocals and Tom Ward really is a perfect match for Mason
Hill. One thing I do notice is that the
album feels heavier than its predecessor.
Their debut had more ballads and anthems while this album hits
harder. Maybe a sign of the band releasing
some of that frustration and then relief on the journey they have found
themselves on in the past few years.
Overall,
the album is heavier but as usual with Mason Hill there are a couple of curveballs
to show off their diverseness. “Stay
for a little while” is the softer rock ballad while “Drag the chains” is the
epic of the album which notably has the sort of guitar noodling which drew me
towards them in the first place. But I’m
here for the hard hitters too and there is plenty of them. “Resonate” shows off Tom’s vocal range and
even goes into metalcore vocal territory at times. “Twisted” and “Hurricane” I
can see becoming fan favourites at gigs due to their catchiness and I “Oxygen”
right now is my personal favourite.
Overall,
through the metaphorical flames this band have been through some tough times
and have come out the other end all gun’s blazing. A very welcome return.
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