THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...BLACK ROSE – Killing Machine (Hellion Records)

If a band release an album called ‘Killing Machine’ you’d expect it to have better have plenty of muscle and the balls to back it up, and this latest offering from Black Rose has no shortage of either. Over the years the lads from Teesside, in the north east of England, whose first album was the nose-to-the-grindstone NWOBHM-belter ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ in 1984, have evolved, firstly to become more glamtastic – although still hard-edged – in their Neat Records’ years to now being a full-throttle take-no-prisoners outfit.

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From the off, this is a great album and one not to underestimate. Things start menacingly with a synth driven opening which gives way to a bass refrain and bang! – the title track explodes into a kick-ass neck-breaker which wouldn’t be out of place opening an Accept album. And if you think that’s just an attention-grabbing opener and that things will tail off, you’ve got – as another great band once said – another thing coming. ‘If It’s Too Loud (You’re Too Old)’ reveals itself to be a horns-on-high shout-it-out anthem with a melody that’s almost impossible to shift from your head and a beautifully crafted solo from lead guitarist Kenny Nicholson; and ‘Blood Red Sky’ takes the tempo back up, again with some beautifully fluid guitar work. Three tracks in and a third of the album’s 48 minute running time has already been despatched: these guys know how to write five-minute plus songs that don’t overstay their welcome. Skip to the end of the album and ‘Too Loud For Radio’ is another crowd-pleasing anthemic singalong, while closer ‘Under Fire’ ramps things up for one final devil-may-care metallic work-out.

I’ll leave it to you to discover the other five tracks, but can confirm that there’s not a filler in sight. This is metal as it should be played. ‘Killing Machine’ is a exquisitely crafted and superbly executed release in its own right, as well as a testament to the band’s longevity; there are certainly moments which appear to nod back to earlier days in their career, and that’s no bad thing. Nicholson, as already mentioned in despatches, is a joy to listen to, vocalist/guitarist Steve Bardsley has never sounded better, and the two Pauls – Simpson (bass) and Fowler (drums) – keep things nice and tight at the back. There’s nothing to fault here, nothing at all, and ‘Killing Machine’ could easily be album of the year material. Boys will be boys indeed.