Swiss hard rockers Shakra are back, but, whilst this is news that may well be greeted by the sound of crickets and the sight of tumbleweed rolling through deserted Wild West vistas in the wider rock world, it should certainly be greeted with unbridled joy if solid, workmanlike hard rock gets your own particular boat floating…

My colleague Gavin Strickmann has handled the last couple of releases we’ve highlighted the from the band, Mad World from 2020 and 2017’s Snakes and Ladders, so I thought I’d take reins for this one and see if the band remain as I remember them from albums like High Noon and Powerplay from around a decade ago.

The answer to that question is a resounding yes. Time hasn’t withered Shakra – but it hasn’t seen them progress much, either. If you’re a fan that fact doesn’t matter- of course you’re still going to lap up slightly Eastern-tinged rockers like this album’s title track. But if you yearn for slightly more than a pleasant mix of Gotthard, Bonfire and Pretty Maids then it’s hard to see Invincible as a whole bringing you into the Shakra fold.

Notwithstanding that relatively large Elephant in the room, there’s a lot to enjoy for anyone else still reading… Shakra are undeniably master craftsmen, and there’s always something to respect about people who do something well going about their business. Thom Blunier (lead) and Thomas Muster (rhythm) are a finely-tuned (no pun intended) axe unit, meshing together perfectly; They provide a taut, melodic backdrop over which Mark Fox delivers some efficient, controlled hard rock boom n’bluster from behind the mic. The band know a thing or two about dynamics, building slow burning anthems like Devil Left Hell with such deftness and skill that you can’t help but be sucked in by the snap of Roger Tanner‘s snare and the pop of Cyril Montavon‘s pulsing bass interjections. And the crackle? That’s provided by a lovely solo from Blunier…

And really, that’s all there is to say. Shakra are back, and they still rock hard in a polite sort of way. Good luck to ’em!