Old punks don’t die, they don’t even fade away. Ask Mickey Geggus. He left the band he helped form, but even without The Cockney Rejects he couldn’t reject music. Mickey always loved hard rock – and with UFO’s Pete Way having produced a Rejects record back in 1982, there’s a lineage here that makes perfect sense.
This album feels like a return to that spirit: no posturing, no irony, just lifers doing what they’ve always done.
If what you weren’t expecting was an intro that belongs on a Pantera record, then opener “Holy Mother” lands like a slap. It’s aggressive, thick and sets a tone that refuses to mess about.
But given that “I Wanna Know What It’s Like” openly begs for “something new”, maybe that curveball shouldn’t surprise us. There’s a big, modern hard rock swing to it too — fans of bands like Massive Wagons probably need to get here quickly
And if those first two tracks are harder rock than you might expect, then the presence of Maiden’s Dennis Stratton on backing vocals underlines just how deep the DNA runs.
“Days Of Our Lives” feels like UFO if they’d gone punk, while “Prayer For Tomorrow” snarls with the attitude of Metallica if they’d been raised on south London streets instead of the Bay Area.
Things soften — briefly — with “I Know How To Find You”, which is gentle, even tender, offering a moment of reflection without losing its backbone.
That respite doesn’t last long. “Your Time Is Done” has the band back on the prowl, all menace and muscle, and there’s a definite NWOBHM feel lurking beneath the grime.
Any lack of subtlety across the record is gleefully underlined by the filthy swagger of “Dirty Dreams”, before “Fortunate Son” reminds us these boys didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in their mouths.
The Creedence vibes continue on “Over You”, and by the time closer “Come Home” rolls around, the picture is complete: the road has been long, there have been knocks taken and blows rolled with, but they’ve come out the other side and landed exactly where they belong — back in hard rock.
Dirty. Grimy. Greasy rock ’n’ roll — made all the better because it’s being played by lifers.
Rating: 8/10
