Nazareth resolutely loud ’n’ proud on ballsy Surviving The Law

Dan McCafferty’s gone, but Nazareth's spirit remains strong on Surviving The Law

By ( Classic Rock ) published
Nazareth: Surviving The Law cover art
(Image: © Frontiers)

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When Axl Rose’s favourite singer Dan McCafferty retired from Nazareth in 2013 after 45 years of lung-busting service, leaving bassist Pete Agnew as the last man standing from the band’s glory days, it seemed as if the game might be up for Scotland’s rowdiest rock’n’rollers. 

But not so. Loughborough-born Carl Sentance (formerly of NWOBHM also-rans Persian Risk and also, briefly, Krokus) has filled McCafferty’s boots with impressive gusto. 

Surviving The Law, the band’s second album with Sentance, is resolutely loud ’n’ proud in true Nazareth tradition. 

And while it falls a long way short of early classics such as Hair Of The Dog, the spirit of the 70s lives on – in the ballsy swagger of Strange Days and Runaway, in titles such as Let The Whisky Flow and Ciggies And Booze, and in the soulful album closer You Made Me, which will surely bring a smile to Dan’s craggy old face.

Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”