Burnt Out Wreck emerged in 2017, a new name with a dependably old sound; Built around singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and all-round uber talent Gary Moat, late, you’ll remember, of Scots cock rockers Heavy Pettin, the band brought the sound of Bon-era ‘DC and Storace‘s Krokus kicking and screaming into the second decade of the twenty first century with a fury and swagger that took the breath away on debut album Swallow. Two years later, follow up This Is Hell was described by our very own Scott Adams as being ‘more of the same… but better’, and now, in 2022 after what Moat describes as ‘the worst year and a half in my life’, the band is back and, I’m pleased to report, firing on all six with raucous new offering Stand And Fight!

Of course, this is BOW, and so on a superficial level you know by now what to expect – and on opening triumvirate of tracks Big Up Yourself, first single Stand And Fight and Lion the band aren’t going to be disappointing anybody who already considers themselves a fan. The first track especially is absolutely titanic; built around the adamantine stride of Paul Gray‘s any-slower-and-he’d-fall-over drums and replete with some heroic lead work from Richard Upson, it’s just the sort of music we’ve come to love from Moat over the last half a decade.

But as the album stretches out over the course of it’s eleven track duration you come to realise that Stand and Fight – the album – is so much more than just old time rock n’roll. It’s absurd to suggest that someone with over thirty years in the business is maturing as a songwriter, but excellent tracks like Ain’t Done Nothing Wrong, Blood Sweat and Tears and excellent, country-tinged closer I’m A Loser Too all suggest that Moat has had something of an epiphany in as far as knowing what makes a great Wreckord now, and is not afraid to spread his wings a little and cover whatever ground is needed to do just that.

By some way this is the most epic Burnt Out Wreck album yet; it feels weighty, it feels portentous. But Moat’s cheeky grin is always smirking away in the background, like a heavy metal Cheshire cat, ensuring that any whiff of pomposity is stopped at the door and sent packing. This is still good time boozing music – but it’s good time boozing music packed with a heck of a lot of substance. Make sure you get a hold of it at your earliest convenience.

Stand and Fight releases on November 18th.