"Barbed Wire Soul" (Peaceville) * * * *

Okay, finally Jeff Walker gets his first post-Carcass product out, backed up by a jammin' band featuring at least one ex-member of Cathedral. But those of you who are expecting a mix of Death 'n' Doom are in for a bit of a surprise, and a pleasant one to boot. Blackstar have made a footstompin' Boogie Metal record, with an abundance of hooks and riffs, riffs, riffs!
Opening track "Game Over" starts with a riff that could have been lifted from a Southern Rock record , but before things get too comfortable a syncopated drumbeat throws things a bit out of whack, not an untypical Walkerism. Other bits of weirdness are a song entitled "Instrumental" that has lyrics, and the horns and saxophone(!) on "Waste of Space". However, as the album progresses it's impossible not to get caught up in the songs - "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" and its "Small Hours" vibe. "New Song" and its excellent guitar solo, the ringing chords in the midsection of "Better Off Devil" - great driving music provided there aren't any speed enforcement cameras around.
Vocally, Walker sticks to gruff singing that fits the material perfectly. All of it adds up to a bit of headshaking when you realise that this guy was also responsible for "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious". Nice one

Andrew Carter