Salem UK. Last seen around these parts in 2018 when they were plain old Salem, you’ve gotta give the band props for keeping going in what seems like the face of massive indifference from the wider record=buying public.

That’s not to say what they do isn’t worthy of praise – there are some moments of inspiration on the new album, amongst the perspiration – but it must be tough for a veteran band to keep going in the modern climate, especially when that ban sets it’s stall out in such rigidly traditional style.

The bossman said in his review of Attrition that listening to the album was as if the last thirty-odd years had never happened – musically at least – and once again that’s the feel you get with much of the material on Outer Limits; Opening track Rock You (actually one of the best on the album) sounds like a mashup of Saxon and Krokus, whilst the more hard rock-inflected Overrider could actually have been hatched during the band’s initial run in the mid eighties.

Silverblack finds the band tributing Led Zeppelin, but the best track, Meteorite, stands out not only for the fact that Jonny Hirons delivers a smoking solo but also because it actually hints at Salem UK being able to forge an interesting identity of their own beyond the nostalgia treadmill they and so many bands of their vintage seem to be doomed to ride. On Meteorite the band sound engaging, energised and fresh, with Simon Saxby‘s voice standing proud front and centre.

And therein lies the rub; Do Salem UK belong to the past or the future? They clearly have the chops to plough new and exciting furrows, even within the relatively rigid parameters of their chosen genre. I for one am sure they are up for the challenge, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. Good luck!

Outer Limits releases on November 29th.