Classix Nouveaux initially formed in 1979 when two former members of the legendary X-Ray Spex teamed up with two former members of the band The News. They released three albums (four if you count the alternate US version of their debut) before calling it a day in 1985 (the 2021 release The Liberty Years 1981-1983 is a great four CD box containing these four albums). A few years ago, they found out that fans were making Facebook pages dedicated to the band, and frontman Sal Soto told the other guys they should do another recording together and surprise the fans, so in 2021, the version of the band who was responsible for their first two albums, released a remake of the track “Inside Outside”, originally on their 1981 debut album. This caused the fans to start talking about new material and now forty years after their final album was released, Classix Nouveaux is back with Battle Cry, an outstanding new album that in my opinion is even better than their earlier releases. While it’s a given that the album is going to have a much better sound and production, another big difference is the fact that while the synths that were so prevalent before are still a vital part of their sound, Gary Steadman’s guitars are a much bigger piece of the puzzle this time around. “Prelude/Fix Your Eyes Up” kicks the album off with the relaxing ambient prelude, then as “Fix Your Eyes Up” starts, the drums kick in along with swirling guitar, pulsing synths and a super funky bass, all topped off with Sal Soto’s vocals (just as strong as ever) resulting in an extremely catchy track and a great opener. The title track is up next and really show the band moving in some new directions. It starts off with what sounds like a crowd in an ancient coliseum followed by bagpipes, a galloping beat kicks in, and then it largely becomes, for lack of a better term, a battle cry chant with synth blasts and a strong guitar solo. Harkening back a bit to the New Romantics era, “Wretched" is a dreamy, somewhat laid-back track with an undercurrent of Gregorian chants in the background. After opening with a short guitar riff and a droning synth that then leads into the sounds of a symphony warming up, “Final Symphony” blasts you with a heavy synth beat before shifting back and forth between that and a softer vocal and synth section and wrapping up with another strong guitar solo. It’s a really fun tune with an infectious, almost headbanging drive. Starting off with just an acoustic guitar (something new for the band) and then vocals with a gentle synth undertone, the gorgeous ballad “No Do Overs”, slowly evolves into an orchestral section. At its quieter moments it has a bit of folk tinged prog and interestingly the lyrics are all taken from hit songs of the eighties. Bookended with a spoken section and with lyrics inspired by the end of the Book Of Revelations, “Revelation Song” is a midtempo track with heavy synth beats and super funky bass along with some really interesting, kind of mysterious sounding, guitar and some orchestration with horns towards the end. Next up are the two reimagined tracks, both of which are less cluttered and of course have a more modern sound. “Never Never Comes”, is a little more laid back and smoother sounding, while “Interlude / Inside Outside” is much more laid-back and while still synth heavy like the original it has more emphasis on the guitar. Closing things out is the epic six minute plus “Colour Me The Sky”, another track that opens with captivating acoustic guitar followed by the synths creating a moody midtempo track with some hints of prog. Toward the end of the song the guitars kick in with a great solo and it turns into a rocker before closing out with a symphony and choir. Unlike so many bands that come back with halfhearted efforts, Classix Nouveaux have returned with what I think is the strongest album of their career. Hopefully Battle Cry is just the beginning.
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