This band going by the name Spectre (there are over a dozen listed at Metal Archives) is from Australia and if I hadn't read that in the promo materials, I'd have assumed Dying Victims Productions had dug up yet another dusty, little remembered relic from the NWOBHM. Lonesome Gambler is a four-song EP, but if you opt for the CD or cassette version, you get five bonus tracks, essentially all of Spectre's prior singles. Musically, as I said earlier, Spectre has an echoey, DIY sound that is similar to many of the NWOBHM bands, though the production is modern and clean. They use synthesizers which give their music an atmosphere that at times evokes proto-metal, occult rock ("Hero of the Illusion") and at others '80s science-fiction weirdness ("Turning the Wheel"). Listening to the first four songs is an eclectic experience, like if Pagan Altar and Blue Oyster Cult did soundtracks for movies like Logan's Run and Escape from New York. I like the unsettling, almost creepy vibe, but it isn't the heaviest metal out there. The bonus tracks are heavier, in general, more direct, and less ethereal and a couple of tracks feature different vocals, which mixes things up a bit. I give Spectre credit for not sounding like a lot of the other bands in the traditional heavy metal movement, but by the same token their songwriting isn't all that compelling at this time. Unless fans have a soft spot for hard rock, many may not dig the sound Spectre are cultivating, but if laid back, sometimes a bit trippy music like Wytch Hazel, Spell, or even Trouble has a place in your playlist, Lonesome Gambler is worth a listen.