Nightfly When Dokken split for the first time guitarist George Lynch shortly after put together Lynch Mob which included Dokken drummer Mick Brown in the original line-up. Their first two albums, Wicked Sensation in particular, were excellent melodic metal/hard rock albums that equalled if not even bettered anything Dokken had released. Since then Lynch has released a number of albums, some as Lynch Mob, with mixed results though nothing matching those first two post Dokken albums. The low point was Smoke This, a rap metal album released in 1999.

Rebel features vocalist Oni Logan who returned for 2009’s Smoke And Mirrors and it has to be said that Lynch Mob seem to raise their game when he’s around, a fine singer in the classic rock tradition. I’m pleased to say that Rebel is also their best album since their eponymous second album. It opens with Automatic Fix, a mid-paced slab of melodic metal featuring a classic twisting Lynch riff and solo and sets a high benchmark for the rest of the album which it never quite manages to reach. That’s no poor reflection on the other 10 songs - there are some fine moments for sure but Automatic Fix sets the bar so high. Naturally Lynch turns in a fine performance as always but more importantly he’s come up with his strongest hook laden collection of riffs for some time and this album really grooves.

The production is really good, highlighting the strong performances of all – the rhythm section of Jeff Pilson – bass (also ex-Dokken) and Brian Tichy (ex-Whitesnake) - drums is unfussy but solid as a rock though Tichy throws in some excellent fills when required. Logan’s voice is the icing on the cake – just as good as he was on Wicked Sensation 25 years ago and hasn’t lost any of his range or power.

Rebel is sure to delight Lynch Mob fans - whilst they are unlikely to ever match that debut this will do very nicely for now and as good as you could hope for.