Black Trip’s second LP, Shadowline (Steamhammer/SPV), bristles with retro-metal enthusiasm. The project of Peter Stjarnvind of Entombed (guitars) and Joseph Tholl of Enforcer (vocals), the band also features Sebastian Ramstedt (guitars) and Johan Bergeback (bass) of Nifelheim as well as Tholl’s Enforcer bandmate Jonas Wikstrand (drums). Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Entombed) produced the record, and he’s the perfect choice for the job. His intimate familiarity with both extreme metal and classic rock & roll makes this sound rich and three-dimensional.

Backing off from the tungsten flame of its members’ main bands, Black Trip works with a more measured, classically melodic, grooving sound. When Shadowline takes flight and rises to the level of its obvious inspirations (Thin Lizzy, Saxon, Iron Maiden), it’s a beautiful, knowing tribute that will make even the most staid listener want to drink 10 beers and smash out all the car windows on his block. From the introductory drum beat and howl of “Oh yeah, all right,” opener “Die With Me” hits the ground running with four minutes of guitars chasing and slashing at one another slathered between a foregrounded vocal and a rock solid rhythm section. Every second is perfect, from the two lacerating guitar solos to the ear candy drum fills. The title track takes the classic trope of missing your lover on the road and rises above cliche, not through any twist on the thematic material, but through a perfect balancing of rhythm guitar and bass doubling paired with kick drum synchronicity as the vocal and lead guitar spin one of the biggest hooks this year.

The expansive technicolor dueling guitar intro and the breakneck rhythm of “Clockworks” let Tholl lean into that material and use the high notes so prominent in Enforcer but often left aside on this record for a dramatic contrast. “Clockworks” might point to a more interesting future iteration of Black Trip; it’s the moment on Shadowline where it feels like the band is having fun instead of trying to fit the mold of its influences. Black Trip can’t completely escape the shadows of those bands it loves, but there are enough fresh elements to set them apart. With more time and attention spent on songwriting, this could be a band that surprises all of us.