Black Trip, which features current and ex-members of bands such as Entombed, Enforcer, and Nifelheim, is a band that harkens back to a time when metal was simply known as metal and there weren’t as many subgenres. They do a great job writing classic, catchy, trad-metal tunes. Vocalist Joseph Tholl has a bad-ass rasp to his voice, while guitarists Peter Stjarnvind and Sebestan Ramstedt form a killer guitar tandem, peppering each song with ripping solos and accents.

“Voodoo Queen” opens with a Thin Lizzy-inspired groove, while “Radar” gets a little more urgent and features some ripping solos from its two guitarists. “No Tomorrow” starts with a flourish and then settles in into a head-bopping gallop where the riffs dart around the bass and drums. Of course, there are more solos thrown into the mix. “The Bells” adds a little more speed to the mix, while the title song, which closes out the album, mixes a whole bunch of styles and tempos to finish it off in style.

Black Trip do a such a great job with their New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-inspired, prefix-free metal, that it will make you misty-eyed for the days of tight pants, muscle cars, and questionable facial hair. It’s fun, and it rocks. What more do you want out of metal album? 

(Prosthetic Records, 8713 Aviation Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90301)