The hugely underrated Dead Moon are often called one of the pioneering bands of the late 80s and featured the husband/wife duo Fred and Toody Cole as the key songwriters. In their heyday they were considered rock family royalty and gathered much acclaim from musicians with higher levels of mainstream popularity, like Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Following the legendary band's demise in 2006 after 16 albums or so comes Pierced Arrows, with their second album "Descending Shadows" released through Vice Records.

On first impressions, the sound of the album isn’t too dissimilar to Dead Moon, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. The better production and somewhat more explosive guitar playing is what separates them from the old days. Fred Cole certainly hasn’t slowed down with age as he howls, screams and moans until his voice is damn near out of breathe. This is best shown on tracks like “Paranoia” where you're led to believe he’s just about to rip his throat in half before exploding into a brutal feedback guitar solo giving his lungs a much needed rest. “Ain’t Life Strange” and “This Time Around” are perfect country contrast with Toody Cole singing her country little heart out with her husbands husky voice coming into the chorus’s. As it always did, it's these female-led tracks that add great versatility to the fist-pumping rock songs that make up the majority.

As rugged and ragged as “Descending Shadows” might seem, there’s a hefty amount of heartfelt lightness to it as well. Often overshadowed by the just as essential 90s couple Royal Trux whose Dead Moon influences were immediately obvious. The tracks “On The Move” and the rollicking fist-pumping fuzz of “Zip My Lip” on the new Pierced Arrows record are as close as you’ll ever get to a modern classic rock duet. In fact, the whole record is the damn nearest thing you’ll get to a balls-to-the-wall rock album in 2010. It goes to show that despite their age and wrinkled skin – old rockers can still deliver much better music than any of their peers. Concluding the album with “Coming Down To Earth”, it makes you realise that the band are somewhat alienated from everything else that’s going on in today’s music. But for a song writing team who have stuck to their guns and what they know – it’s always been an advantage.

Review Score: 7.5/10