Bullet are a staple of the scene across Europe, their legendary Bullet Bus is something to witness, then the albums keep coming through and live they are some band to watch. Strange though, their last effort I heard, ‘Full Pull’ (I missed ‘Storm of Blades’ completely), felt a bit lacklustre, this new album took a long time to get into and doesn’t have an instant level of gratification as their trio of earlier releases, perhaps it’s all too familiar to us now. That said, it’s still a fun release.
The faster tracks let the energy fly such as the opener ‘Speed and Attack’ and ‘Screams in the Night’. When such tracks go in full flow there’s a comparison to Accept’s Metal Heart, Saxon and some ’81 ‘era Judas Priest coupled with the cool rasp of Hell Hofer’s vocals. The slower tracks feel more party anthems with the sing along choral part of ‘Forever Rise’ and ‘Hollow Grounds’ no doubt proving a nice summer soundtrack. I haven’t been able to pinpoint any major highlights, the album simply does what it does, provides hard rocking pleasure. Perhaps that’s why it took me so long to get this one. There is nothing of concern with the songs, the arrangements or the solos; it’s all cool, the more you listen, the more you are infected by the passion released during this recording.
(7.5/10 Paul Maddison)
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