Wait up… another ‘supergroup’ on Frontiers? Those of you who thought my review in this very organ of labelmates and fellow made-up Frontiers band Nordic Union a few days back was a bit harsh will probably be battening down the hatches and waiting for another salvo of snide, unfeeling abuse from your duty review scribe but – and it’s a bloody big but, given the circumstances – you won’t hear any carping from this writer about Resurrection Kings.

And the reason is this: Resurrection Kings sound like a fully formed, ‘proper’ band, and not just some money-making collation of names with a past thrown together to see what happens. The key to this record’s success is vocalist Chas West, who is simply astonishing throughout. Possessed of the sort of voice that David Coverdale would kill for in 2016, West hits every song out of the park with a bravura performance that really does rank as good as anything from a bigger-named vocalist I’ve heard in the last few years. Just listen to the stupefyingly good ballad Never Say Goodbye and tell me you weren’t immediately transported back to 1988 when you hear it (and let’s face it, as far as Sentinel Daily is concerned that’s a very good thing to be able to write about a song indeed) – you won’t be able to.

I could spend the rest of this review enthusing about West, but that would be to deny the importance of the contributions of the rest of the band. Y’see, for a change, the word ‘supergroup’ actually fits when you consider former Dio members Vinnie Appice (drums) and Craig Goldy (guitar) are Resurrection kings, whilst former Quiet Riot/Great White bassist Sean McNabb is no slouch either. This celebrated triumvirate combine with West to devestating effect on eighties metal stompers like Fallin’ For You and Livin’ Out Loud, whilst the rampant Had Enough has a splendid primetime House of Lords swagger to it that oozes class from every pore.

Goldy burns particularly brightly throughout, handling lead and rhythm in the fluid yet heavy style we came to know and love during his tenure with Dio. A player of surprising taste and restraint, he still knows how to turn on the shred when necessary – his soloing on Don’t Have To Fight No More is exemplary – but never overpowers the songs unless absolutely required to do so.

So there you have it- one of the biggest, and most surprising, hits of the year to date. Lovers of that classic hard rocking metal sound of the late eighties will lap up every last second of this release. Any chance of a few shows?

Resurrection Kings is out now on Frontiers Music