Third record of the Vinnie Moore era, and the overall vibe is very similar, namely big, bruising (sluggish?) and bluesy, somewhat unsatisfying at face value but rich and textured and packed with good storytelling upon repeated listens. The big dispute I’m hearing from longtime fans is that there is less and less “Euro” metal to the band’s sound as we move along. Fair enough, but a longer-lasting, more gratifying type of melody falls out of these songs, oddly, if one is willing, again, to play the songs over and over. Weird, and it’s a cliché, but drummer Andy Parker said the same thing too. Personally, it took me 25 or so listens, and I kept adding songs to my well-loved anthem portfolio methodically one after another. Not so much anthem, but in that hidden gem zone like ‘Gone In The Night’, ‘Dreaming’ and ‘It’s Killing Me’. Then you start noticing Vinnie’s buncha guitar tones, nifty keyboard parts, sweet classic rock choruses. But at the heart is Phil’s turn of phrase and penchant for Springsteen drama and vignette. Faves would be everything that doesn’t rock, things like ‘Stop Breaking Down’ and especially ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’, with its melancholy Satch vibe, and time-honoured drug and drink lyric. ‘Villains & Thieves’ and ‘Stranger In Town’ seem to go over the edge of the slurp bowl, with Phil sounding, ahem, inscrutable like Keith Richards, speaking variously in fragment or mumble or feverish stream of what the hell’s he on about? Total regaling charm, but again, over musical tracks that are traditional post-blues boom rock, too Pete Way and not enough Schenker. On a personal note I can totally understand that there’s something too meat and potatoes rock about UFO right now, but man – and maybe because I’ve interviewed three of the UFO guys about it already – I’m playing this constantly, digging it, taking ownership of it. Can’t wait to see the lyrics on a page, sure to elicit both amusement and a subsequent vague discomfort that Phil is likely folding in on himself.