Attica Rage – 88MPH

Attica Rage's third LP since their inception in 2003 couldn't open in a less predictable way for the Ayrshire rawkers. It's only after a pastoral, Led Zeppelin III-indebted acoustic passage (complete with triumphant strings and an epic build-up) that the quartet settle into much more familiar territory, first with Beyond Forever, a hard rock banger if there ever was one.

 

Of course, songs just like these have been performed by originators like Ozzy Osbourne and Twisted Sister some thirty years ago, but there's an undeniable passion at play here. It's sheer classic rock worship, but then again, a song like Long Ride Home, presumably built for solitary drives through the lonely Arizona desert (or the murky glens of Scotland, whatever works) is a surprisingly emotional affair. Moments like these can make 88MPH well worth the trip. [Ross Watson]