Black Rose of course go all the way back to the NWONHM days. A reasonably brief career then spawned a couple of albums before they called it a day around 1989 I think.
There was a reformation some twenty years later….and now in 2022 the band has a rather excellent new album out entitled WTF. You know what that means, right?
Thanks to guitarist Steve Bardsley for tipping me off about it. He and his cohorts have an album of twelve songs of proper NWOBHM-style heaviness. After listening to it you’ll be thinking WFT – but in a good way.
Relentless pace from start to finish. The riffs and solos fly. Thudding rhythm section which would make short work of the Walls of Jericho and snarling vocals with attitude. Marvellous stuff indeed.
Take the opener – Crazy Mental Bad. A brutal assault of a song. Next up is Devil’s Candy which continues with the blazing heaviness and monster guitars.
WTF will have you spitting out the chorus along with the vocals. A huge thriller of a song.
Indeed – all the way through it’s around an hour of unrelenting brutality with finesse. In other words it’s not all out heavy for the sake of it. All well-constructed and well performed songs.
Never Take Me Alive for example wavers towards melodic rock territory whist remaining a thrusting rocker.
Armageddon is a great closer. Punches along on a huge riff. Telling vocals and thrilling solos before the air raid siren calls us to the nearest fallout shelter. Have a listen:
With WTF, Black Rose have come back with a thrilling album and yet more evidence you simply cannot keep a good NWOBHM band down….!
Want a copy? Of course you do. Here it is on the label’s web shop:
https://www.puresteel-shop.com/BLACK-ROSE-UK-WTF
If you prefer a new-fangled download or stream I guess you’ll find that option somewhere on your platform of choice – though I’d have no idea.
Oh, and here’s a link to the Black Rose Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Black-Rose-UK-342204575811420/