Rob Halford has done it again! Also known as Halford IV, it was surprising to see an album hit the shelves after 'Winter Songs' was released at the end of last year.

Halford has kept to the basics: strong melodies while keeping songs simple. Guitarists Roy Z and 'Metal' Mike Chlasciak shine on the album with their crisp, melodic solos and bone-crunching riffs.

Halford, meanwhile, doesn't go over the top with wild screams (with the exception of 'The Mower') and, as a result, harks back to the earlier Judas Priest sound. Fourteen tracks with some fantastic highlights ('Like there's no tomorrow', power ballads 'Heartless' and 'Twenty five years' and the bone-crunching finale 'The Mower' to name a few) and only one of them failing to hit the mark ('Hell Razor' sounds a bit insipid).

This is Halford at his best ... don't miss it!

*****

Review by Nick van der Meulen