Bullet - Bite The Bullet
Black Lodge
Classic Metal
11 songs (41:00)
Release year: 2008
Black Lodge
Reviewed by Pete

The stink of patchouli oil returns with Bullet's new collection of three-chord songs. This band are so classic heavy metal that they're either trapped in a time-bubble or have been living in a wooden barn in the backwater villages of Sweden for the past 25 years with only AC/DC and Saxon albums to keep them company. Leather, studs, denim, badly sewn on patches of one's favourite bands are all in attendance and thank god as well. It is bands such as Bullet that keep the spirit of classic Heavy Metal alive allowing long term fans, such as myself, to revel in warm nostalgia and giving us licence to moan that metal was better back in the day.

Bullet's follow up to the catchy, if a little weedy, Heading For The Top sees the band adopt a rock and roll approach by turning the guitars up. Quiet axes was my main gripe with their first album and thankfully on Bite The Bullet the six strings are edgier, louder and in your face. The natural groove and hooks are not compromised, in fact I would go as far as saying that it enhances the whole rock and roll experience. Damn it, I nearly had my air guitar out at many points during this album.

With bands such as Stone Gods and Airbourne chocking out good time rock n roll Bite The Bullet seems a little more relevant now than it would've done ten years ago. It's an odd statement to make when an album has both feet firmly in the eighties. But simple three-chord music such as this is based on grooves, beats, screaming and solos. Bite The Bullet' has this in droves. The riffs range from early AC/DC (Pay The Price) to early Saxon (Rock N Roll Remedy). Vocalist Hell Hofter still sounds like Brian Johnson on his first few albums and the guitar work is perfect for this style of music.

I must admit Hofer's voice does grate after a while. His voice doesn't express melody all that well and can make the songs merge into one. There's also little variation in Bite The Bullet. Whereas AC/DC throw in some darker tunes and maybe a slow bluesy track, Bullet give you as much mid tempo groove as they can muster. After about half way it does get a little tiresome and songs such as Waste My Time and even the title track just sound a little like going through the motions. These are minor gripes but I would like to hear Bullet stretch their rock n roll muscle in the future.

Bite The Bullet shows zero progression in musical terms but a step forward in actual sound and production. But do we want these sort of bands to progress? I would say 'not on your nelly'. Bullet's new release is a foot tapping, head nodding and air guitaring experience. Don't judge the band by their cover or their style, they have that AC/DC feel mastered, and if the new AC/DC album doesn't do it for you then give this a chance. Just make sure you don't wash, wear some old denim and throw a fist in the air when you do.

Killing Songs :
Nailed To The Ground, Pay The Price, Roadking, Wheekls Keep On Turning
Pete quoted 81 / 100
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