Bus the Unknown Secretary - We Are the Night (2024)

4★

BUS (short for Bus the Unknown Secretary) was formed in Greece back in 2011 as a stoner metal band and as was reflected in their past two albums, it seemed like that would be the direction they’d continue in. However, when We Are the Night dropped, I was somewhat taken aback at their drastic shift in styles. Goodbye stoner, hello heavy metal! There are still some lingering doomy elements here and there, especially on “Rumours” and “Rise of the Fallen,” but when you take this album at face value, it would fit right in with the early ‘80s NWOBHM stuff like Tygers of Pan Tang, Sweet Savage, etc. All the songs are neatly crafted with either a driving riff or melody, with simple guitar solos and catchy vocal hooks. Listen, it’s not going to blow some of the old metal out of the water, but it’s a great little album and well worth multiple spins. I’m curious to see where they go from here and hope their next trad album is even better!

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Somebody Spits on You,” “Nevermind/Realise,” “Under My Skin”

FOR FANS OF: Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, Saxon

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Originally published in Aug. '24 (Issue No. 4)