Following on after a five year recordings hiatus, Blitzkrieg have been well revered over the years from various sources, mainly for their inclusion in the original NWOBHM movement. For a few years now, Blitzkrieg have expanded their musical output and are simply not the same band as those early releases displayed, so I start by saying don’t expect a retro/back to the roots album.

Brian Ross still displays an amazing range, some of the screams and high end notes are truly awe inspiring. The recording itself is crisp and clear, a good standard, but lacks the raw energy reminiscent of earlier material, and other bands recent releases in the same field for that matter. That perhaps is the kick in the teeth for me. Songs are well written and executed, but they sound too perfect, if ever there is a case for that. But, of course, this is my personal preference as for overall quality, yes this exists.

The first few tracks follow the formula of recent material, straight up British metal. With a reasonably mid-tempo pace for the majority of the release, I kind of want to take off the brakes a touch. There are a couple of tracks I really like, but they will be totally out of sorts with those who herald their love of the “classic” era. Notably, these are ‘Loud and Proud’ and ‘Without You. Whilst mixing in the same studio used by Pretty Maids, you’d probably be a touch surprised as Blitzkrieg produce the same general hard rock feel from these two tracks. ‘Without You’ is however a special song and has an amazing melodic hook the track. Lyrically, some tracks deal with vampires and Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Grey, these are ‘Forever is a Long Time’, ‘Falling Into Darkness’ and ‘Judge Not Lest You Yourself Be Judged’; all provide a cool story behind the music and entice you to focus on these rather than the music itself.

There are many factors to enjoy, but overall I feel a little non-plussed about the release, it doesn’t sound vibrant, although I remember having a similar feel for the last studio outing ‘Back from Hell’. The songs on ‘Judge Not’ are more interesting and in fact varied, the lyrics are very entertaining and pose strong interest, but it falls a bit flat in terms of musical presentation/execution.

(6.5/10 Paul Maddison)

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