Sweden has long been inundated with retro sounding youngsters: Enforcer, Steelwing and Wolf chief amongst the global exports. Apart from Wolf, none has been more successful, issuing consistent output, than Bullet, now on their third full length. I still contend “Bite The Bullet” was a better AC/DC album than the simultaneously issued "Black Ice", but these latest ten tunes are not as immediate. That’s not true of lead track, ‘Highway Pirates’, a top fuel dragster, peeling out once the light turns green. From the Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger) school of larynx exercise, Hell Hofer’s gravely warble strains to keep pace on this speedster, the only such velocity in the bunch, although ‘Knuckleduster’ finishes a close second. ‘Back On The Road’ roars with Angus approved guitar, although a little more polish in the construction.

There’s a hint of commercial viability in many of these (witness cowbell tinged nod to vintage Accept, aka ‘Citylights’). Cognizant of the fact, there’s a short, simplistic ‘Stay Wild’, dominated by buzzing guitar riffs. More guitar, albeit of a different variety (solo, more metered) crops up in the call & response ready ‘Down And Out’ and ‘Heavy Metal Dynamite’. The mid-tempo ‘Fire And Dynamite’, accented by loose hi-hat drumming, inhabits a similar album space as the Aussies’ ‘Touch Too Much’. Ends with ‘Into The Night’, another upbeat number.

Maybe a slight step down from their initial pair, still better than 95% of what’s flying the metal flag these days, veterans included!