n the mid-’80s, Belfast’s Rogue Male were touted as ones to watch. Alas the predicted breakthrough never came to pass. Their brand of cyborg metal (I’ve just patented that term), while critically-lauded was perhaps too nuanced or different for mass consumption.
Rebooting the band in 2008, Rogue Trooper-in-Chief Jim Lytlle has shown that he ain’t for turning, and that the eclectic mix that made them unique is still stubbornly intact. ‘Stars N’ Stripes’ has shades of solo Phil Lynott. The ballad ‘Time’ is a sparse, dark, gothic, brood whilst the thrash attack stylings of ‘Never’ combine the stripped-down grit of Motörhead with Sunset Strip Sleaze and new wave of British heavy metal technical chops. ‘Meteorite’ leaves a gaping crater with its knarled, twisting, power stomp, and ‘Dangerzone’ manages to combine serrated metal chops with commercial rock and guttural punk. Uneven at times but, hey, you don’t go rogue half-heartedly.