The southern, chainsaw wielding, heavy metal hillbillies from good ol' Georgia, USA are back! Jackyl returns with "Relentless"; an album that is very much like their debut in both style and sound, that it is hard to believe it's been almost ten years since the first release. "Relentless" could have easliy been Jackyl's second record and is sure to please Jackyl fans that have been waiting for an album such as this.

I always viewed Jackyl as an AC/DC for the 90's and their music is no exception. "Relentless" reminds me of AC/DC albums like "Back In Black", "For Those About To Rock...We Salute You" and "Flick of the Switch". Jackyl still continues to do what they have always been doing; combining hard rock and Southern boogie styles with a touch of metal. The album is not over produced and maintains a certain stripped down sound and rawness. Vocalist Jesse Dupree wrote all of the music and lyrics with the exception of "Kill The Sunshine", which AC/DC's Brian Johnson helped co-write and "Mr Evil", which has veteran Jackyl guitarist Jeff Worley and new recruit guitarist Roman Glick (Brother Cane) lending their writing talents as well.

A really like all the songs on the album, but some will stand out more that others. "Kill The Sunshine" is the single that is getting some airplay now and is probably the best track on the album. As I mentioned earlier, AC/DC's Brian Johnson helped co-write the song so it has that AC/DC powerchord style and sound with a great backbeat and rhythm to it. A song like"Vegas Smile", will give you the feeling of driving down the Vegas strip in a topless Cadillac. "Down This Road Before" is more of a ballad while "Billy Badass" brings back the chainsaw sounds.

Anyone into bands like classic Aerosmith, Dirty Looks, Ted Nudgent and AC/DC are going to like this album. Some things may never change where Jackyl's music is concerned, but that might not be a bad thing. It's good to see some bands continue to stick to their guns, or in Jackyl's case, their chainsaws!