Wild Dogs Unchained

Wild Dogs Unchained is the eleventh studio album from The Rods, the long-running New York band that started out way back in 1979. Their core sound of loud, hard rocking heavy metal is intact, and the songwriting sits somewhere between the strong material from their last album, 2024's Rattle the Cage, and the ho-hum songs on 2019's Brotherhood of Metal. There are some memorable numbers here, like the title track or "Hurricane," nothing really amazing but nothing that needs the skip button. It's all chunky riffs, pounding drums and gruff vocals with catchy choruses, no-frills heavy metal. Modern Anvil is still the closest comparison for The Rods' current sound, in terms of songwriting, lyrics, vocals, etc., so if you have been enjoying their recent output, you are sure to enjoy Wild Dogs Unchained.