Rockers are still on their mettle

And if you want proof, you should check out the new album from Mansfield rock veterans Sparta.

Their Welcome to Hell record, out now on German label High Roller Records, sees the local lads rocking just as hard today as when they first hit the scene in the 1980’s.

The band , who all come from the Mansfield area , released several successful singles such as Fast Lane , Fighting to be Free, Angel of Death and Tonight, as well as a compilation album called “ Scene of the Crime featuring other local bands.

And following a succesful re-release of old material in 2011, the band were asked to record a new album.

The reuslt is Welcome To Hell, which opens with the title track and proves that Sparta have stayed totally true to their old-school roots.

With a killer riff that would have not sounded out of place on Iron Maiden’s first record, the band bullet-belt out pure metal.

Time showcases Sparta’s tight harmonies and twin guitar attack, with a great vocal line that proves the band are talented songwriters as well as musicians.

Rock and Roll Rebel, meanwhile, has the boys shredding like the Met when an internal investigation is in the air.

Kingdom of the Sky has the obligatory metal-ballad opening, before kicking up with a galloping riff.

As you may imagine for a group of musicians who have been playing for decades, each member of Sparta can more than hold his own musically.

There are some complex arrangements here too and, whilst not all of the transitions are seamless, Welcome to Hell has songs full of ambition and sophistication.

Meanwhile, those who think metalheads instantly lose their sense of humour the second they pull on their leather jackets, should check out the album’s final track, Death to Disco.

A Mashall-stacked echo of The Smiths’ plea to hang the DJ, it even features a tongue-in-cheek funked-up guitar section that would have John Travolta pointing at the ceiling.

And rock fans will love playing full-metal bingo, trying to spot all the hard rock song titles buried in the lyrics.

Welcome To Hell is available from all good retailers now and you can keep up with the progress of the band on their Facebook site Sparta UK.