News of a new Naked Raygun album, the first in over thirty years, came as quite a surprise but was a no brainer in terms of sucking up crazy trans-Atlantic shipping costs for me. Recorded before the passing of bassist Pierre Kezdy, Over the Overlords is everything a fan could have asked for and more. The majority of the songs have that distinctive melodic drive Raygun are renowned for, with maybe just a touch less aggression in them. Jeff Pezzati’s voice is wonderful to hear. He has such a great punk croon that it’s almost enough just to have that singing new songs. However, there are a number of curveballs which have raised eyebrows, due to being a digression to what has gone before. Both “Black and Grey” and “Suicide Bomb” have a more relaxed feel, with the former having a poppy edge and the latter displaying a gothic/post-punk quality, a bit like “Vagabond Dog” did on Understand? The CD version contains two tracks not on the vinyl, one being a longer and different mix of “Living in the Good Times” and a live version of the awesome “Knock Me Down” recorded in Chicago in 2015. This is an album built around solid, long-standing foundations yet one which is not afraid to try something new in places. All rise to pay tribute to these poor gods. –Rich Cocksedge (Wax Trax, waxtrax.com)