Album Review: Black Star Riders, Wrong Side Of Paradise

Famously born from the 21st century incarnation of Thin Lizzy, this modern day supergroup celebrate ten years of shaking speakers around the world with a new album that's loaded with titanic tunes. With golden haired guitar god Scott Gorham now semi-retired, singer/riff-wrangler Ricky Warwick is left to captain the ship, and he’s sailed Black Star Riders into some exciting new territory.

There’s still plenty of their trademark duelling axe-work and hooks the size of Belfast’s big yellow cranes on offer, but for their fifth opus, their frontman peppers proceedings with more Northern Irish flavour than ever before. Warwick’s youth spent in Co. Down inspires much of the material both lyrically (‘Catch Yourself On’, ‘Pay Dirt’) and musically, especially on album highlight ‘Green And Troubled Land’, which is driven by a riff reminiscent of 'Alternative Ulster'.

Also boasting some brooding ballads (‘Riding Out The Storm’) and one of the catchiest songs they’ve ever created (the Joe Elliott-featuring ‘Better Than Saturday Night’), Wrong Side Of Paradise is a blast.

Score: 8/10
Listen: 'Green and Troubled Land'

Out now.

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