Believe me when I say that this album is an instant winner. The Temperance Movement, a seamlessly cool blues-rock outfit British in origin, hadn’t really grabbed my attention before, but that was until we had the tirelessly scorching ‘White Bear’ on the playlist in the store. Eleven pumping, pounding offerings sit on this record, each stylish, refined and staggering in delivery. I think it was the immediate comparison I could draw to Scott Stapp and even Myles Kennedy that made me feel so comfortably aligned with this album, so, if you don’t bother to read any further, that should tickle you enough. Yes? No?

‘Three Bulleits’ and ‘Get Yourself Free’ kick it all off in raucous, coarse rock fashion without any apology. The riffs are wildly ardent and energetic, with the drums meshing thrash by precise thrash. If you’re a discerning grunge fan, you’ll probably appreciate many of these, also. ‘A Pleasant Peace I Feel’ is slower, but with a trademark harshness to both the verses and chorus. It isn’t until you reach ‘Modern Massacre’ that you officially stumble upon the really brash stuff. The chorus is manic; heavy, fast crashing drums meet this effortlessly scuzzy, descending riff that fuels one kick-arse solo. Just brilliant. ‘Battle Lines’ harbours a few similarities, too.

Although it begins much rougher and at less of a pace, ‘White Bear’ is somewhat delicate during the verses compared to the blazing chorus, of which the vocals are projected with such reckless vigour. It’s quite the transition, and such a favourite of mine. If you couldn’t already detect some vague smacks of Alter Bridge and Gaslight Anthem, then you can now, even with a sprinkling of Three Doors Down for extra flavour. Another utter treasure has to be the storming ‘Oh Lorraine’. This has a very classic blues-type structure to it, just with some really saucy rock ‘n’ roll effects thrown over the underlying hook.

‘Magnify’ and final track, ‘Do the Revelation’, both settle the tempo down somewhat, while ‘I Hope I’m Not Losing My Mind’ is the typical wistful number, which is definitely needed after such explosive energy the band carry throughout. ‘The Sun and Moon Roll Around Too Soon’ is another sheer belter, so it’s certainly worth noting as ‘last but not least’. As much as I shouldn’t have to justify purchasing this bloody majestic album, these paragraphs should help anybody that finds themselves somehow undecided.

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘The Sun and Moon Roll Around Too Soon’ / ‘Oh Lorraine’