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27.07.14

• Unisonic: Light of Dawn
• Sunless Sky: Firebreather
• Johnny Touch: Inner City Wolves
• Knifeworld: The Unraveling
• Dreamside, The: Sorrow Bearing Tree
• Alestorm: Sunset on the Golden Age

20.07.14

• Red February: On The Run
• Rush: Presto (SACD)
• Heylel: Nebulae
• Derdian: Human Reset
• Grave Digger: Return of the Reaper

13.07.14

• Eye Jabs, The: Sounds of the Fourth Dimension
• Uncommon Evolution: Uncommon Evolution (EP)
• Crystal Eyes: Killer
• Forensick: The Prophecy
• AOR: L.A. Connection
• Yes: Heaven & Earth
• Van Burens, The: Presidential Lovefest (EP)
• Ichabod Krane: Day of Reckoning
• Reaper: An Atheist Monument

06.07.14

• Night By Night: NxN
• Steel Prophet: Omniscient
• Distorted Harmony: Chain Reaction
• Intelligent Music Project II: My Kind O' Lovin'
• Relapse Symphony, The: Shadows
• Bowness, Tim: Abandoned Dancehall Dreams

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Bullet: Highway Pirates

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal

3.5/5.0

Black Lodge Records
Website MySpace
by Craig Hartranft,  01.17.2011

I still think they sound like AC/DC. Rather than a charm, Bullet's third release, Highway Pirates, is simple consistency. Bullet's still delivering the gritty and catchy hard rock that made their Aussie peers famous. Yet, something seems different. I hope it's not my imagination or simple wishful thinking. On Highway Pirates Bullet seems to given their sound a more (melodic) heavy metal edge. Certainly that rocking boogie style is underneath it all but songs like Fire and Dynamite, Stay Wild, Highway Pirates, and Heavy Metal Dynamite sound like traditional NWOBHM meets AC/DC. Maybe AC/DC meets Accept? Not sure about that blend.

But, as I said, maybe I'm just want to believe that Bullet can step out of that huge shadow. One positive thing is certain: with all those telltale AC/DC signs, there is a greater depth and breadth to the arrangements on Highway Pirates. On 2009's Bite the Bullet everything seemed to run together. Not this time; there's better variation across the entire disc. If anything, there's the real advancement of Bullet. Into the Night and Knuckleduster are evidence. Nevertheless, for all my hopeful expectations, or lack there of, Bullet still sounds like AC/DC, just more metal-ish.

For all my hopeful expectations, or lack there of, Bullet still sounds like AC/DC, just more metal-ish. Yet this work shows greater maturity with better song craftsmanship.

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