Crucified Barbara’s 2005 debut In Distortion We Trust remains a gal-metal masterpiece, thanks in no small part to the Swedish band’s rampant enthusiasm and naïve audacity to compose songs with titles such as I Wet Myself.
Their third album, The Midnight Chase, is unsurprisingly and understandably a much more mature offering. There are a couple of generic tracks (Into The Fire is too Motörheady by half; Everything We Need is straight out of the Girlschool songbook), but these are more than counterbalanced by moments of genuine brilliance.
Star of the show is Mia Coldheart, with her guttural, strangulated singing style. But then she surprises the hell out of you with her oh-so-sweet delivery on the slow-paced Count Me In.
Portentous, giant-sized ballad Rules And Bones is the clear standout, the lyric ‘Crashing into the wall of mayhem’ summing up the spirit of the album perfectly.
