Black Star Riders - All Hell Breaks Loose

Published May 21 2013

*=Staff's pick	All Hell Breaks Loose Bound For Glory* Kingdom Of The Lost Bloodshot* Kissin' The Ground Hey Judas Hoodoo Voodoo Valley Of The Stones* Someday Salvation Before The War* Blues Ain't So Bad

Genre	Hard Rock	Ricky Warwick	Vocals
Tracks	11	Scott Gorham	Guitar
Running time	46 Min.	Damon Johnson	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Marco Mendoza	Bass
Release	22 May 2013	Jimmy DeGrasso	Drums
Country	USA/UK	-	Keyboard
Producer	Kevin Shirley
Similar artists	Thin Lizzy

Initially this album was supposed to be released as Thin Lizzy, but praise the Lord, eventually it wasn't. Guitarplayer Scott Gorham and his crew finally decided to release their new music under a different moniker, although legal issues probably was the definitive cause for this matter.

With members of the latest reincarnation of Thin Lizzy, it comes as no surprise that this effort contains a lot of stuff resemblant to the legacy of Phil Lynott. With Ricky Warwick behind the mic and in a few vocal melodies I hear parts of his former band The Almighty as well. Add a good portion of bluesy hard rock, neat guitar playing and a traditional rock groove and there you have Black Star Riders' new release. The production from Kevin Shirley, whose efforts I haven't always appreciated, is highly appropriate on this record, as he's making it feel new and up to date with an older sound.

What about the songs' strength? Well, there are many ups and some downs. The first single off this release, Bound For Glory, sounded plain and goofy at first, but after a few spins it rocks big time. As goes for Bloodshot with its push forward expressions and drive, and also the captivating tracks like Kingdom Of The Lost, Valley Of The Stones and Before The War. The only track I really can't stand is Someday Salvation, with its lively and dorky appearance and it should have totally been sorted out before the recordings.

Many fans of these guys will certainly take this album to their hearts and souls, if they give it a few spins. I will see this band on stage in a few weeks and I certainly hope they will play a lot of songs from this release, instead on relying on the old Thin Lizzy stuff too much. 7 chalices to All Hell Breaks Loose and hopefully a huge goodbye and farewell to a band name that should have been buried with their leader for nearly three decades ago.

See also review of: Heavy Fire , The Killer Instinct

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	4	8	6	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tobbe