Coming straight at you like a ninja wearing electric blue shoes, you'll sit up and take notice from the off.

Bai Bang have been around since 1983!!! And with a history that includes tours with LA Guns, The Crue and RATT, stints in Nasty Idols, Bad Habits, and ex-Tigertailz man Steevi Jaimz's band, this lot have either been shit out of luck or simply shit to have not been bigger.....but which is it?

This is their 7th album (one of which was a best of) and it's an accomplished effort. Far from being just another Swedish band to add to the list that's already out there, Bai Bang specialise in melodic rock with a party edge, soaring choruses with emotions and the occasional flash of class that raises them above the rest. Although they tread a line that is well worn by the masses (they want to be RATT but are more akin to Europe and Def Lep) they walk and talk it well and have created 10 tracks that are all solid slices of prime 80s styled rock.

'We're United' is a foot stomping, head banging glam track at its best, a great introduction to an album you've never heard before - gang vocals, "woah-oh" chants, bang bang drums and fret board overload!!! Oh yes good people, I'm loving it already. 'Livin' My Dream' has got a heavy background whilst a soft rock track simply lies over the top of it, sounds strange but it works. 'Rock It' could have been written and sung by Joe Elliot and his Leppard cohorts whilst 'Die For You' and 'Rock On' is the kind of pomp rock the likes of Europe specialise in. 'Stay' is, again, a great Europe-type song but is underpinned by the best and (for a change) original piece of guitar work that almost seems out of place but works to make this the best track on here, although its ending is so abrupt I thought my copy was broken - it wasn't, it just randomly stops.

This is a band that know what they're good at, know what they want to sound like and know exactly where their strengths lie. Throughout 'Livin' My Dream' Bai Bang sound confident, polished and like a band I should have heard way more of before this disc fell into my lap.

If you can't find my lap to check it out, you'll have to look here;

www.baibang.se