There’s a time to stay in your lane and a time to break out of the pack. And to their credit, the testosterone-fuelled Hamilton headbangers of Monster Truck find a way to do some of both on their freewheeling third album True Rockers. Most of the 11-song affair wisely keeps it between familiar lines, sticking to the hard-driving retro-rock, boogie-down blues and organ-rich barnburners that have been putting the tiger in their tank and the air in their tires since Day 1. And they oughta get plenty of mileage out of a cameo by Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider on the turbocharged title cut. But next to all that blast-from-the-past thunder, more eclectic and melodic fare like Young City Hearts, Undone and the falsetto-flecked modern rocker Evolution (there’s a hint) can’t help but stand out like a Mercedes at a muscle-car show. Bottom line: Monster Truck still know how to put the pedal to the metal, but it’s good to know they haven’t started to spin their wheels yet. Keep on truckin’, boys.
