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Released by: Steamhammer/SPV
Released on: February 23rd, 2015.
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UFO, as they head into their final twilight years, have developed into an extremely consistent hard act. íœber guitarist Michael Schenker may be long gone, but his replacement Vinnie Moore has developed into a perfect foil for vocalist Phil Mogg's expressive bluesy vocals. This album is very much a follow up in spirit and quality their last set "Seven Deadly".
Mogg has always been a deeply weird lyricist and that's only gotten more pronounced with age. Here he mixes strange confessional lyrics with hilarious braggadocio like "Messiah Of Love". The whole record has the feel of a hard rock gospel revivalist meeting with Mogg using his lower register to particularly strong effect. There's also a classic rock and roll vibe going on that's reminiscent of heavier ROLLING STONES material on tracks like "Precious Cargo". The other highlight is opener "Killing Kind" with its potent borderline metal riff and commanding vocal.
UFO were never a metal act however and their flirtations with that genre were circumspect at best. DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW at their heaviest were far closer to that wheelhouse, with UFO avoiding the tag mostly due to Mogg's non-histrionic vocals. He has a lovely warm tone and has never been a screamer. The other key component of the UFO sound is the tasteful use of Paul Raymond's keyboards. They give the songs shading and color but never become obtrusive. Andy Parker's drumming is also rock solid. And Moore - despite his shredder past, has developed into a great melodic player.
As far as geezer rock goes, this is about as good as it gets. Highly recommended for strong songwriting, plenty of hooks and a quality production job. UFO continue their Vinnie Moore era winning streak that began with "You Are Here".
