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WTFortyfive?

    
       
       
       
     
             
Girlschool are an all female heavy metal band from the UK forming in 1978 and enjoying a four decade plus career! Prominent during the evolution of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal during the eighties, Girlschool have survived a number of line-up changes and the death of founding member (guitarist) Kelly Johnson. The band have established themselves as one of the UK's most successful heavy metal bands, releasing fourteen studio, numerous live and compilation albums, the recent 'School Report' boxed set, and performing all over the world at most, if not all the major rock and metal venues and festivals.    
             
The year 2023, sees Girlschool celebrating an incredible forty five years as a band, releasing 'WTFortyfive?' - the bands fourteenth album featuring twelve brand new songs. 'WTFortyfive?' is the first new material from the girls since 2015's 'Guilty As Sin' - an eight year gap that hasn't diminished the bands desire for delivering "foot on the monitor" heavy metal full of grit, grunt and sleaze, 'WTFortyfive?' forty two minutes of infectious and catchy metal.    
             
The London based four-piece - Kim McAuliffe (vocals, guitar), Denise Dufort (drums), Jackie Chambers (guitar), and Tracey Lamb (bass) - are in fine form, the album coming to life with the crushing 'It Is What It Is'. Mid tempo and full of thunder, 'It Is What It Is' is typical Girlschool - brash, bold and heavy with sky high levels of head bang ability. I've been listening to Girlschool for err, too many years to remember, the band coming into my world via their collaboration with Motorhead for 1981's 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' - Motorhead a band that I'd just gotten into courtesy of 'Ace Of Spades' and 'Overkill' by way of taped recordings from a school friend! So out I went and bought Girlschool's debut album 'Demolition', and the rest as they say, is history! But it's the present that I'm here to talk about right now, the girl's new album marching on with even more thunder than 'It Is What It Is', 'Cold Dark Heart' stomping into view and shuddering the ground with immense power and panache. And as we all know, heavy metal doesn't have many boundaries - age is definitely not one of them! Girlschool the band are as old as Iron Maiden, but not as old as Judas Priest and Saxon.    
             
And bear in mind all these bands are still performing today, and releasing new music! Of the twelve songs that make up 'WTFortyfive?' an incredible ten are less than four minutes in length, paving the way for a brisk and very quick moving album - 'Bump In The Night' an energetic and raucous romp of highly entertaining foot on the monitor heavy metal. Ever since I heard the news of a new Girlschool album, you just couldn't wipe the smile off my face, and now it's here - I'm grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat! Or indeed the cat that got the cream! The band are a favourite of mine, always have been and always will be, the girls moving on at pace with a party atmosphere - 'Barmy Army' guaranteed to lift the mood of everyone everywhere! The chorus is highly sing a long-able and anthemic, a real rabble rouser calling every listener, fan and follower to "come and join the party". I joined over forty years ago, and never left!    
             
'Invisible Killer' - presumably dealing with the worldwide pandemic of 2020 - is a solid slab of hard hitting heavy metal delivered at a mid tempo pace, featuring the familiar Girlschool sound. Not just the voice of singer McAuliffe, but the whole package - you just know when the girls are playing, the bands style as unique as contemporary peers Motorhead and Iron Maiden. And talking of style, Girlschool have always stuck to their guns when it came to the music, never bowing down to media pressure or changing fashion, fads or trends! The band have remained true to the spirit of heavy metal, flying the metal flag worldwide and inspiring generation after generation of new bands. Adopting a phenomenal stomp, 'Believing In You' is another anthemic metaller to raise the clenched fists of every listener high in the air - fists that have been punching the air in delight ever since the album began! Do you know how hard it is to type when all you wanna do is rhythmically punch the air!    
             
Moving in the direction of melodic metal, 'It's A Mess' is a brighter, breezier gallop of infectious heavy metal that loses nothing of the albums intensity - an intensity that reached out and grabbed everyone's attention the moment 'WTFortyfive?' began. And tightly too, the girls delivering a metal masterclass with regards to hooking listeners, whether they be of the older, younger or newer generation - yea, yea, yea, I know, Iron Mathew is the older generation! No need to remind me, my aching joints do that everyday! And oh my god, what a gorgeous sassy swagger 'Into The Night' is (insert "wow" emoji here) - I think I may have just wet myself a little bit! And no it's not because of old age you cheeky buggers! It's because of 'Into The Night's glorious groove and elegant stature, oozing sex appeal in abundance. How can you not fall in love with it? And with the band too?    
             
Increasing the pace, power and oomph, 'Are You Ready' rockets outta the blocks, rocking heads back and forth at their fastest rate since the album began! The girls are on to a winner with this one, generating an incredible buzz within every listener, fan, follower and concert goer - everyone, and I mean everyone, are gonna sing a long to the chorus. So come on you lot, all together "are you ready? are you ready? are you ready to rock 'n' roll". Hell yea I am - I was born ready! And still the throttle is way open, 'WTFortyfive?' motoring on with the punk tinged 'Up To No Good'. Banging heads harder than ever, Girlschool are at their most raucous here, delivering a belting blend of heavy metal rock and roll that defines the bands sound.    
             
And as we approach the final two songs, 'WTFortyfive?' enters party mode once more, the band raising the roof with 'Party' - a barnstorming barrage of infectious heavy metal to get everyone up on their feet and "do the misty mountain hop, the blitzkrieg bop, and the genie gene gene just like a killer queen". And only people of a certain age (like me and my elders) will instantly get the lyrical reference the band so eloquently sing about! The worlds Gen Z population ain't gonna have a fucking clue, but for them the internet will provide the answer. The final song on offer is a cover version of a Motorhead classic, 'Born To Raise Hell' (from the bands 1993 album 'Bastards'), featuring a special guest threesome - Biff Byford (Saxon), Phil Campbell (Motorhead), and Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses). And what a cover it is - Girlschool and guests perfectly matching the pace and feel of the original. Well maybe with just a little bit more oomph!    
             
Overall, a barnstorming barrage of infectious heavy metal from one of the worlds best and longest serving metal bands - Girlschool.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Guilty As Sin      
           
"cracking NWOBHM sounding album from Girlschool, full of energy with punk and blues influences - a raucous reminder of how great Girlschool are" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             

           
           
The School Report 1978-2008      
Boxed Set          
"an outstanding five CD boxed set celebrating Girlschool's incredible career in heavy metal" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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