Though perhaps not quite laced with the vitriolic vigour of their classic early catalogue, NEW MODEL ARMY'S re-emergence in 2005 with the consistently decent 'Carnival' album was nonetheless a noteworthy event. It proved that even after the tragic death of magnificent drummer/ founder member Rob Heaton they could re-group with musicians with sufficient passion and urgency to convincingly complement the fire that continues to burn in frontman Justin Sullivan's belly.
And, while NMA have frequently been ridiculed, sidelined or rubbished for their outspoken, hardline approach (and often wrongly vilifed for the whole 'crusty' thing, come to that), 'Carnival' - like most of their albums - was bristling with acutely-observed songs commenting on the shocking state of the world right now. Certainly 'Red Earth' was a sharp kick up the arse for the self-congratulatory pricks lining up for Live 8, 'Another Imperial Day' harrowingly accurately documented the plight of asylum seekers and the closing 'Fireworks Night' turned the spotlight inwardly as Sullivan shared fond remembrance of his late friend and former drummer.
So, fast forward two years and the good news is that new (tenth!) album 'High' is again a consistently fine record and the sound of the five-piece NMA flexing their muscles to take on trendier, supposedly more inspiring opposition once again. Not that he's exactly without a fanbase (NMA, after all, have inspired as much devotion as derision over the years), but somehow I think Justin still relishes jumping into the ring as the underdog even after all these years.
But whatever the deal, 'High' has plenty to recommend. For starters, hooking up with producer Chris Kimsey was clearly a good idea. Often remembered for producing The Rolling Stones' 'Steel Wheels' album, Kimsey was also responsible for harnessing Killing Joke's mammoth sound circa 'Night Time' and here he's obviously relishing the challenge with another notoriously uncompromising band.
It brings out the best of both parties on numerous occasions, not least when 'High' gets its' riffbound rocks off on tracks like the all-out assault of opener 'Wired' with its' irresistible rising tide of a chorus and the quintessential militant NMA of 'Nothing Dies Easy' with its' creepathon of a bassline and one of Sullivan's most menacing vocals yet. Not bad, bearing in mind his impressive past history.
Elsewhere, Justin's well-drilled new disciples pitch in with some inspired supporting performances. Packing everything from the expected tom-heavy tattoos on songs like the ultra-brooding 'One Of The Chosen' through to neat, almost trip-hoppy beats on the sprightly 'Dawn', Michael Dean proves that Rob Heaton's sticks have been passed into safe hands; Dean White's textural keyboards and sweeping strings, meanwhile, bring unexpectedly memorable new dimensions to tunes like 'Breathing' and the epic title track and - perhaps most intriguingly - new guitarist Marshall Gill adds touches (like the fork-tongued glide of the slide guitar on 'Rivers') which would previously have been considered anathema in NMA lore. Crucially, though, these textures work like a dream.
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Inevitably, though, it's Justin Sullivan who remains the heart and soul of New Model Army and it's the urgency of his delivery and perfectly-aimed vitriolic arc of his lyrical bombs that remain so utterly vital to the plot, not least when pariahs such as vacuous celebrities, the media and Britain's on-going Americanisation ("we've found a thousand ways to lay waste the planet/ and we're going to use them all") are in his sights on songs like the cranky 'All Consuming Fire'.
As with 'Carnival', however, they hold the finest moment in reserve for the finale courtesy of 'Bloodsports', which - far from concerning fox-hunting - is Sullivan's Iraq and its' consequences commentary and a bloody incendiary one at that. With the band pulling out all the stops, he spits out "these stupid empty words could be written on the pale skin/ of the dead laid out in shallow graves along the road of palm trees" with the abject futlility you might expect from someone who's already chronicled such lunacy 25 years before on the equally essential 'Spirit Of The Falklands'. To say it's moving is something of an understatement though it'll no doubt put the kybosh on Justin being named in the New Year's Day honours. Again.
Yes, it's easy to write off New Model Army for everything from being about as fashionable as ricketts and calipers though to simply not having the grace to fuck off and die like most of their 80s contemporaries. Yet to their admirers (and there's more of us than you might think) they remain relevant, exciting and real. And there ain't too many bands approaching the 30-year mark who you can say that about with conviction. Long may they continue to harangue.
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