The Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster - Blood & Fire

After two gloriously noisy albums, support slots with rock giants Queens Of The Stone Age and System Of A Down, it seemed that they could have taken on the world. Then literally overnight, they went on a hiatus that seemed to last a decade. Now evidently down to line up changes, Guy McKnight’s flirt with French cinema and rehab, thankfully, the Eighties Matchbox are back. Sounding more manic and ferocious than before.

Opener, ‘Love Turns To Hate’ feels like the band have travelled back to the mid-80s and crafted the best hook laden, anthemic goth pop song ever. Immediately after, ‘Mission From God’ redefines the genre. It’s like discovering rock and roll again. The tempo slows momentarily with ‘So Long Good Night’, which interestingly has tinges of Nick Cave’s dark, brooding mystique, although not a departure for the band it is definitely a different sound to their previous output. Fortunately the break hasn’t softened them, the rest of ‘Blood & Fire’ contains some of the maddest, loudest and unashamedly catchy songs the band have ever written.

‘Blood & Fire’ should finally get them the recognition they have long deserved; it contains some of the best songs of Matchbox’s career so far and has a monstrous level of intensity. By far the best Goth Psychobilly album you will probably hear this year, perhaps ever. It’s about as loud, riotous and balls out brilliant as you can get. Guys, we have missed you, don’t leave it so long next time!