Nazareth - Surviving The Law (Frontiers Music SRL)

Nazareth is a moniker that is still alive. A new singer, Carl Sentance arrived in 2018, and a great band was rebooted. Fast forward a few years, and this current lineup has created a very unlikely album. A modern twist to the bluesy, hard rock of the their 70's heyday has emerged. Nobody will compare this Naz to the old Naz. But when the material is good, it's good and there is no denying that Surviving The Law is a relentless blitzkrieg. 

The opening salvo is a tour-de-force, blow the doors off the car beat down of the narrative we currently live in. "Strange Days" is a world autobiography. It's nice to see rock musicians being countercultural and rebellious. Original bass player Pete Agnew is a beast on this project and gives it more credibility. The band in general is concise and hungry. Guitarist Jimmy Murrison alternates between blues and acid psychodelic lickery. Vocalist and newcomer Carl Sentance is a pure, loud rock singer. The more you listen to this record, the more it will stick in your head. 

"You Gotta Pass It Around" is about love but it could be about any such lovable substance. Sentance is a convincing singer as he straddles the upper altitudes without much effort. Like all good old school records, there are great guitar solos and fills and this album is laden with a great full spectrum mix of ear candy gravitating from speaker to speaker. 

There are some AC/DC-like riffs coupled with the odd turn as if Sweet or Motley Crue were steering the musical progressions. "Waiting For The End of The World" is another gritty, almost garage band work-up. The songwriting is catchy and there is enough air in these songs to make them breathe. You hear big chord progressions and prominent background vocals. The band has written 14 songs that all lean heavily on 70's rock and blues. This is not a generic melodic rock or heavy record. It has it's own personality and will satisfy the hook-lovers and the hard rockers all at the same time. Nazareth will never get the credit they deserve in annals of rock history. But this album will likely go over big with fans of this legendary band and for people who are looking for the real thing.

Album Rating 9.7