The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - Blood and Fire

After a significant lapse of time in which few missed them and many probably forgot they had ever existed, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are back with a new album. Blood and Tears has everything you'd expect from a TEMBLD album, even if you've never actually listened to them before, maybe don't know anything about them but have just glanced quickly at a photo of their grumpy, 80s goth-on-a-shoestring mugs.

Here, then, is garagey, amphetamine-ripped psych-rock - 'Mission from God', 'Love Turns to Hate', most of the other tracks; here are smoky, black-hearted murder ballads - 'So Long Goodnight', 'I Hate the Blues', 'Don't Ask Me to Love You'; here are a couple of examples of proto-metal comedy gurning - 'Under My Chin', 'Monsieur Cuts'. However TEMBLD have been filling their days since 2007's In the Garden EP, it's clear they haven't been striving to break new ground. As always with TEMBLD, there're some knowing chuckles to be had at the daftness of it all: 'Homemade' sounds quite like The Damned circa the full-scale goth naffness of 'Eloise'. On the other hand, listening to this band still feels like being gibbered at by a speed-addled goth convinced he has some special mastery of the dark arts. A bit annoying.