I pride myself on knowing a thing or two, especially about metal and hard rock from the eighties. So when the boss man foisted a name on me I’d never heard before, I wasn’t overly enthused in taking on the task of reviewing them. Gastem?

Surely I’ve heard all the good ones by now?

And on listening to the uncomplicated mid eighties hard rock of opener So High, I was comfortable in my complacency. I have heard all the good ones… But then second track Did You See That Girl -ups the ante immediately with a superb slice of raw-edged melodic heft. This is fabulous stuff – and I can feel myself being sucked in…

Joe Ellen is next up and finds the band investigating their quirkier side via an almost Cheap Trickish vibe, a vibe that is extended by Come Back For Me, which maybe even throws in a Styx moment or two (or is it Larry Gowan… I find it hard to tell these days), with the whole thing given a satisfying get up and go thanks to some piston-legged drumming from Craig Stegall.

Kiss Me Like You Love Me, propelled by some nice bass from Mark Schenker is the first thing that could be labelled disappointing;  it’s poppier, late seventies Top Forty Fayre that slightly dissipates the momentum the band has built up thus far. That said, good singin’ and good playin’ never really hurt anybody, so you can’t really complain that much, can ya?

Better still to press fast forward and get involved in Taking It All, with it’s ‘Tight but loose’ start that reminds these ears of Mr Big but morphs quickly into another quirky slice of midwestern melodic oomph. And then hits a ‘big’ climax mid song… If you see what I mean. Being brutally honest, you can see why these guys didn’t really set too many homes alight back in the day – the point of difference is just too big for the LCD to fully comprehend. Those of us with an ear for difference, however…

Anyway follows, and it’s a delicious mix of the seventies and eighties that’ll have em rockin’ in the aisles at the local care home… I’m joking of course, but this would have been a massive hit if it was written in 1978, with Cheap Trick again looming large in the front of the brain; intelligent harmonies, muscly melodies, choruses that go on for days – pick whichever of those phrases floats your boat and prepare to wallow…

Bigger yet is Bloodsucker – stadium rock intro, complete with Gene Simmons-styled bass runs and a feel that this is what Queen might have sounded like had they come from the Mid West rather than the West End… all hail the big beat! Lean On You takes the temperature down a little – Clever lyrics usher in a straight-up slice of superb radio rock. Classy vocals make this one of the highlights of the album. And is that a hint of Rush hovering in the ether? While You Were Out comes next and is probably the least arresting track on the album, but it’s still a rather perky piece of fiery rock n’roll… However it fails completely to set you up for what comes next, which is, it has to be said, quite monstrous… Stay With Me is Aasurprise slab of heavy, pompous US metal led by some chunky riffage courtesy of Rob Galpin; clever synth use, brooding atmospheres and superior musicianship will transport you back to the times when Angel and Starcastle roamed the earth. After what’s gone before this track is a total surprise – but a very welcome one, and the pure pomp overload continues with Surrender, which belies it’s tricky name and won’t fail to appeal to you if, like me, you’re a big fan of UK rockers Cats In Space. What a treat it would be to see them and Gastem share a stage!

Penultimate track Who Do You Know  carries with it hints of prime time Ace Frehley, or does it? I can’t be sure, maybe I’m getting my Aces and Alices mixed up (you are – Ed) but this early eighties-flavoured slice of radio rock certainly hits the spot, as does How Do You Sleep – A heavy intro gives way to a song that sounds like an extension of Who Do You Know, but with bigger, shinier hooks to hold on to.

At the end of the day, the market for the music Gastem are making isn’t a big one, but it would be an absolute crime if every single person, world wide, who has even a scintilla of love for beautifully-crafted retro rock, doesn’t hear this album at their earliest convenience. You owe it to your friends to get this record into their ears, and you owe it to them to do it now. Let’s go, people, let’s go!

III is out now.