So much legacy, so much class, so much talent. Alcatrazz were often spoken of in reverent hushed tones, as the short-lived band that had featured Yngwie J. Malmsteen on lead guitar, followed by Steve Vai. But beneath the virtuoso shredding - - a torch carried ably in 2020 by Joe Stump - - the beating heart of Alcatrazz has always been Graham Bonnet.

If you don’t know, Bonnet is a Metal Hall of Famer (inducted in 2020) who has sung with a staggering number of incredible musicians and acts. Name an artist from the 60s, 70s, or 80s, and their paths have probably crossed with Bonnet’s. His Metal LinkedIn profile would be overrun with contacts and former workplaces, if he created one. He’s 72 years old in 2020, releasing Alcatrazz’s first studio album in 34 years, but he sounds as powerful as ever. I can only listen in awe. Sure, there’s a little bit more grit, but no diminishing of strength or power. I wouldn’t always have drawn comparisons between him and Bruce Dickinson, but I definitely hear it on this record. He’s the Clint Eastwood of Metal.
And “Born Innocent” is no farewell tour, like a retiring sports legend playing a few minutes and waving to the fans. This is a veteran still somehow performing at peak level, like a rookie All-Star. The songs on this record cook with energy and fire. Bonnet isn’t trying to assimilate to any modern trends, but this record also isn’t a tired retread of old styles and tropes. The energy and fire that rage here imbue the songs with a timelessness. It would have blown the speakers off of your cassette deck if it had been released 30 years ago; it blows the tiny circuits off of your AirPods in 2020. Sometimes lyrically goofy, but that’s forgivable. We’re here to get rocked, not for a poetry recital. And a paean to polar bears is fully acceptable when the song is this good. “Polar Bear” is a classic Malmsteen-esque fireball (or snowball, I guess. . . ). Other highlights: “Something That I Am Missing,” the title track, “Paper Flags,” “For Tony;” it’s an album without filler or also-ran tracks.
Consider me deeply impressed. Alcatrazz are back.

If the above hasn’t convinced you, then check out the guest writing and performance appearances:
Chris Impellitteri: "Born Innocent"
Bob Kulick: "I Am The King"
Nozomu Wakai: "Finn McCool"
Steve Vai: "Dirty Like The City"
Dario Mollo: "Something That I Am Missing" and "Warth Lane"
D. Kendall Jones: "We Still Remember"
Annihilator’s Jeff Waters on "Paper Flags"
And Riot bassist Don Van Stavern plays on a bunch of the tracks.