Not everything is in need of updating, of course. Shirley’s ability to fashion a variety of sharp vocal hooks within the course of the same song, without resorting to the obvious, remains a timeless gift. This is best illustrated by the Depeche Mode-meets-Nine Inch Nails stomp of Godhead, on which she’s both confrontational and vulnerable in the course of a whisper. This pours emotion, a welcome injection of anger chief among them, onto arrangements seemingly designed to be cold, which gives the been-there-done-that perspective of the lyrics even more bite.
No Gods No Masters is one of the coolest, most vital releases of 2021, let alone one by a band some 30 years and seven albums into their career. Listen and learn.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Skunk Anansie, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails
No Gods No Masters is released on June 11 via BMG.
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