Who says you can't go home again? Unlike most of the lesser lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (and, let's face it, there were hundreds of them!), London's Chariot managed to make a respectable comeback, decades after their initial run, by rekindling much of the same spirit and sound as their ‘80s output (think Saxon meeting Def Leppard halfway) via 2006's Behind the Wire. No, of course the album didn't soar up the charts, or even necessarily improve upon their always competent but infrequently stunning early LPs, 1984's The Warrior and 1986's Burning Ambition, but at least the band didn't embarrass themselves like most of the competition. In fact, Chariot's musicians (three out four original members were back) had kept up their chops over the intervening 20 years by performing under a different moniker -- first Dirty Deeds, and later just Deeds -- so perhaps this explains the effortless return to vintage melodic heavy rock reflected by shiny new metallic vehicles, powered by morbid melodies and mean riffs like Heart of Stone, Feel that Rush, and the title track. If only there were more bursts of energy or major sparks of inspiration to be had amid the dominant plodding numbers, though, because, in the end, it's ultimately the lack of true diversity -- dynamic, emotional, compositional, etc. -- that holds Chariot back from transcending that diaphanous definition between good and great. Just like in the old days, come to think of it, which is why Behind the Wire only manages to bring the group around full circle, instead of beyond their modest abilities of yesteryear -- but then, that's probably still far enough for fans simply looking to satisfy their nostalgia. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi

1		Behind the Wire
2		Cold, Hard, Cash
3		Heart of Stone
4		Shut It Out
5		No Emotion
6		Believe
7		Hour of Need
8		Feel That Rush
9		Your Time Has Come
10		The Hunger
11		Slave to the Memory
12		Looks Deceive

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