Label: Silver Lining Music
Genre: Hard Rock
Release Date EU: July 28th, 2023
Line Up:
Kim McAuliffe – guitar/vocals
Denise Dufort – drums
Jackie Chambers – guitar/backing vocals
Tracey Lamb – bass
Tracklist:
It Is What It Is
Cold Dark Heart
Bump In the Night
Barmy Army
Invisible Killer
Believing In You
It’s A Mess
Into The Night
Are You Ready? (feat. Joe Stump)
Up To No Good
Party
Born To Raise Hell (feat. Biff Byford, Phil Campbell & Duff McKagan)
A forerunner of hard rock and heavy metal, that’s Girlschool. The four-piece band was founded in 1978. With Kim McAuliffe and Denise Dufort, two members of the first line-up are still active, together with Jackie Chambers and Tracey Lamb.
In more than four decades, Girlschool has a long track record of releases and even if Girlschool don’t belong to the outfits that come with a new record each year, all of the published albums are a fine and powerful release, being appreciated by the fanbase.
‘Guilty As Sin’ was the latest release and it dates to 2015. It took a while before the next effort is ready to hit the shelves and here it is. ‘WTFortyfive?’ is a great title for the 14th studio album as it sums up all the band stands for. Metal isn’t a question of age and time. It is a matter of heart and a mindset.
To give an idea about the sound of the new record, Girlschool launched a single called ‘Are You Ready?’ And of course, everybody is ready to rock’n’roll. A pumping beat, great guitar power and the lively vocals by McAuliffe, that is what the song represents, and which makes the track to a well-chosen ambassador for the album.
‘WTFortyfive’ inhales the spirit of hard rocking music, manifested by songs like the gloomy ‘Cold Dark Heart’ and the uptempo ‘Up to No Good’. ‘Bump in the Night’ fires on all cylinders and it’s songs like ‘Invisible Killer’ addressing more serious topics. ‘Believing in You’ is a pounding rock song that challenges neck muscles while ‘It’s a Mess’ acts as a musical wake-up call and it’s the vivd ‘Into the Night’ that can be your Saturday night soundtrack.
Last but not least, the closer is a cover version. ‘Born to Raise Hell’ is a homage to the mighty Motörhead and the girls get great support. No less than Biff Byford, Phil Campbell and Duff McKagan add their piece to the total which makes this cover version to a blasting rock’n’roll moment.
Girlschool maintained their sound, their attitude, and their spirit for more than four decades. The girls haven’t lost any power over time and the ‘WTFortyfive?’ inhales the true spirit of rock’n’roll.
First published on Markus Heavy Music Blog
Written by: Markus Wiedenmann
Rating 8/10
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