Michael Sweet. George Lynch. As noted elsewhere in this organ, on the face of things not a marriage made in, erm, heaven. But against all odds, the pair find themselves with a third album in the can – and once again it’s well worth a listen if you like anything either musician has released thus far.

The second track on this album, Where I Have To Go, demonstrates why this project works so well. These men are professionals, and play as such; But whilst ‘professional’ might indicate a coldness or lack of soul in execution, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it means two men forty years into their game yet still at the top of it, finding a way to blend their talents – disparate, it has to be noted again – to create truly exciting music.

Sweet rarely operates at below full throttle these days – the gospel of subtlety is obviously not one of his faves – but Lynch finds a way to fit his playing into a co-operative role with a lightness of touch that, on tracks like Miracle is, well… miraculous. Sorry. Listen to his licks at the end of the song and give thanks that you’ve lived at a time when such talent exists…

This synergy of out-and-out-bombast and mercurial, balls-out talent makes for an alluring sound overall; and if the music here is a little lighter on true earworms than in the past then so be it. When you have two goosebump-inducing talents like Sweet and Lynch going for broke in your ears quibbling about things like saleability or accessibility become meaningless; When Sweet Screams and Lynch sweeps, time stand still, and the world is undoubtedly a better place.

It’s not all top draw stuff, obviously – You’ll Never Be Alone’s mix of Zeppelin and Stryper doesn’t quite make the grade, for instance – but in the final washup there won’t be many album released this year that display as much raw firepower as this.

Heart & Sacrifice releases on May 19th