LYNCH MOB

Sometimes it seems that George Lynch is better known for his on-off, fractious creative relationship with Don Dokken, than for his astonishingly inventive and lyrical guitar playing. LYNCH MOB is the legendary guitarist's chief vehicle these days, and "Babylon" suggests that he is driving it with great skill and plenty of passion. Emerging precisely one week before the new DOKKEN album hits the streets, the band's eighth studio record has a more classic, Lynch-ian feel than 2017's excellent "The Brotherhood", with new vocalist Gabriel Colon putting in a gutsy (sorry) and characterful first performance.

With plenty of the fiendishly catchy anthems that made early albums like "Wicked Sensation" and "Lynch Mob" so entertaining, "Babylon" rarely feels like the work of a 69-year-old veteran. Instead, the finest moments have a real swagger about them, as if Lynch has rediscovered his '80s cock rock mojo and is back to something approaching top form.

The all-new LYNCH MOB vibe is established early. "Erase" is a powerhouse rocker, with a glorious Lynch solo and a big chorus that Gabriel Colon eats up with alacrity. His voice has a sardonic, snotty quality, with faint shades of BUCKCHERRY's Josh Todd and WARRIOR SOUL's Kory Clarke, and perfectly suits the song's strutting gait. Likewise, on the stealthy, VAN HALEN-tinged "Time After Time", Colon's bold, untamed delivery is a ragged revelation, and it isn't hard to see why George Lynch considers him a good match for LYNCH MOB circa 2023. These are all stoically traditional hard rock and/or heavy metal songs, but this refreshed line-up seldom sound dated or tethered to a bygone era. Despite being latched to a groove that reeks of 1990, "Caught Up" is another timeless gem: funky and fraught in equal measure, it crackles with real band energy, and Lynch's soloing bursts into flame in response. Next, "I'm Ready" strips things down to a motoring, sleaze metal stomp; "How You Fall" is a hell-for-leather speed metal sing-along; and "Million Miles Away" is a lush, teary-eyed ballad that allows Lynch and Colon to flex their musical muscles.

After the fierce but forgettable "Let It Go", "Babylon" reaches its second peak of efficacy. "Fire Master" is more of the priapic, strutting same, but with Colon's harmonized vocals and a storm of fiery Lynch riffs combining to great, psychedelic effect. More funk-metal grit informs "The Synner" — a loose-limbed prowl with a seedy, sharp-edged undertow — while the closing title track seamlessly blends '80s metal vibes with a grubby, ALICE IN CHAINS-like grandeur and flashes of brittle post-punk in Lynch's nuanced, six-string performance.

Both a smart encapsulation of what he does best and a subtly diverse upgrade for his band's trademark sound, "Babylon" is a convincing and substantial return from one of the best ever to do it.