Catch Up Review / Black Star Riders (featuring Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham) have worked hard over several years to carve out their own identity from using the Thin Lizzy name, releasing two fine albums of original material.
Their second album The Killer Instinct sees the band (fronted by Phil Lynott soundalike Ricky Warwick and also featuring Damon Johnson – guitar; Robbie Crane - bass and Jimmy DeGrasso – drums) pick up exactly where the debut left off.
There’s no change in style/direction or sound here – just more of the same easy going, likeable 70s rock with that unmistakable bluesy Thin Lizzy sound.
Most of the regular album’s 10 tracks are written by Warwick and Johnson. The pair really captures the raw, rock n roll essence of what Thin Lizzy was all about.
This is a solid album. At 10 tracks, there’s no room for filler, but the highlights include the title track The Killer Instinct, the upbeat opener sounding like it comes straight out of 1979; Finest Hour is a very commercial slice of classic rock; Soldierstown features Gorham co-writing and is as Lizzy as it gets with some great guitar work throughout.
There’s a few take-or-leave tracks in the middle passage before the heavier Gorham co-write Sex, Guns & Gasoline livens things up.
You Little Liar is a 7 minute blues romp featuring Gorham and Johnson in full flight.
A no brainer for fans of Thin Lizzy, 70s rock and the guys involved. Good stuff, if not quite as compelling as the debut.
