BULLET

The world of heavy music has become so diverse over the last few decades that it has become increasingly hard to argue that its ancient traditions should always be faithfully upheld. That's progress and you're welcome to it. Meanwhile, BULLET continue to fly the flag for hard rock and heavy metal in its purest form. "Kickstarter" does not recognize your evolutionary fervor. This is balls-out, old school and ragged as hell. It is also an absolute joy.

Proudly honoring the blueprints laid down by ACCEPT, KROKUS, AC/DC and SAXON, these scabby-knuckled Swedes have been making the case for tradition since the turn of the millennium, and no amount of cross-pollinated radicalism will deter them from pursuing their chosen path. Led by gravel-voiced, UDO-a-like frontman Hell Hofer and guitarist Hampus Klang, who may well have the most metal name ever, BULLET play souped-up rock 'n' roll that reeks of beer, leather and motorbikes. Progress can suck a dick.

This is the seventh full-length album to bear the BULLET name, and it is as thrilling as everything else they have released over the last 25 years. In a sense, there is very little point in analyzing its contents, because one is either a fan of this kind of music, or one is plainly wrong. There seems little room for doubt. "Kickstarter" rocks like a giant, booze-fueled bastard, sounds like it was made in 1983, and boasts countless moments that will make right-minded people bang their heads, tap their toes, and drive like kamikaze idiots. BULLET acknowledge the fact that songs like these supercharge the soul, even as they reduce livers to ineffectual mush. And as with each of the Swedes' previous albums, "Kickstarter" never sounds dated or irrelevant. Instead, this is an act of timeless and classic power and glory. As one new song makes plain, BULLET are "Chained By Metal" and utterly unable to approach their music in any other way. Sometimes, this could be a recipe for endless repetition and compositional laziness, but not here. "Kickstarter" is as bright, brilliant and vital as it gets.

"Kickstarter" (the title track) is a fantastic entry point: imbued with the spirit of "Let There Be Rock" but snappier and less indulgent, it leaves blazing tire marks in its wake and revels in the sound of revved engines. "Caught In The Action" is a nimble, glam-adjacent rock 'n' roll riot, with Hell Hofer in bug-eyed screeching mode; "Open Fire" is a gnarly, not-very-distant cousin of AC/DC faster, snottier moments; and "Keep Rolling" brims with mid-paced menace and diamond-cut, clangorous guitars. As "Kickstarter" powers forward, there are no real deviations from the simplistic script, but there is so much passion and authenticity on display that it would be needlessly disruptive to veer off course. By the time BULLET arrive at the closing "Night Falls Down" — a more brooding variation on the album's musical theme, but one that still rocks with urgency and intent — they sound in complete control of their no-nonsense mission and ready to go again, preferably on a stage somewhere dark, dirty and drenched in condensation. It's an unfussy formula that never gets old, and one that is seldom delivered with this much attitude and belief. Assuming you are not completely deranged, you will be gripped throughout.