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GIRLSCHOOL
WTFortyfive?

Silver Lining Music (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

Forty-five years in the business and 14 studio albums to date, UK rockers Girlschool come charging out of the blocks with opening track ‘It Is What It Is’ as if to signal a new era of power. The energy, the snarl, the fire and the crunch has never gone away; the punky attitude, the steaming weight remains, and even more so those riffs rattle.

It’s been eight long years since their last opus Guilty As Sin but with WTFortyfive? it’s very much a dawning of a new era, particularly for the sound as the all-female metallers come armed with contemporary dynamics which breathe new life into their trusted instruments. However, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibe remains as the ladies bring out the big guns in the form of hook-laden choruses. This is no blast from the past though, except maybe the superb reworking of Motörhead’s classic ‘Born To Raise Hell’, which features guest contributions from Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Biff Byford (Saxon) and Phil Campbell (Motörhead).

As well as the multitude of foot tapping anthems on offer, Girlschool doesn’t shy away from darker shades. The brooding ‘Cold Dark Heart’ is thunderous in its Gothic aesthetic, a mid-tempo mood shift that highlights the deadly serious nature of this metallic beast. Even so, this is a record dripping with variation; the cheekiness and fun of ‘It’s A Mess’ points to the playful nature of Joan Jett, ‘Invisible Killer’ (which I assume concerns the Corona virus pandemic) is a straight up rocker, ‘Up To No Good’ has a bubblegum punk swagger, and ‘Believing In You’ struts like a hybrid of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC.

Sure, some of the lyrics are a tad cliché, but this is Girlschool not Bob Dylan. I dare you not to nod along to the glam stomp of ‘Party’ or the spookily designed ‘Bump In The Night’. There is something for everyone here whether you like L7, The Runaways, Saxon, Motörhead, Def Leppard, Heart or even The Bangles! The band constructs so many fun hooks but with extra steely padding and serious streaks, and Kim McAuliffe has never sounded so driven yet versatile vocally.

WTFortyfive? is a proper rock ‘n’ roll record from a legendary rock ‘n’ roll band. Forty-five years young at heart and Girlschool are still going strong.

Neil Arnold

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