Spread Eagle’s 2019 return wasn’t a patch on the 1990 debut, but it was missing the band’s guitarist, now 2026’s ‘The Brutal Divine’ features just two of the original 4 guys and is further removed from the acclaimed MCA release. I’ll give them 10% for the opening track ‘Flat Earth Vultures’ and another 5% for at least coming close to holding the melody of UFO’s ‘Pushed To The Limit’ cover, but the rest is an absolute mess. Heavily compressed, almost unlistenable in parts, the production for this album is just horrible and I can imagine the emails going back and forth between the band and label when this was delivered. Sounding more like an indie garage band demo than a record made by a band previously on a major label, there is no excuse for this quality of sound in 2026. That said, the songs aren’t much chop either. The opening track and a couple of others show promise, but stuff like ‘Ant Farm’ and ‘Jail Rat’ are just rubbish. There are so many other releases to choose from, save your money.
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