New Model Army – Between Wine And Blood

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Maintaining the momentum with another worthy addition to their oeuvre…

Review by Raymond Westland

Release date: 8 September 2014

With the release of Between Dog And Wolf post punk/alternative rock veterans New Model Army managed to create quite a stir last year. In order to keep the momentum going, the band decided to write and record six new songs and put it out as an EP under the Between Wine And Blood moniker.

A double album of sorts, besides the six brand new tracks, the band also decided to include eleven live tracks recorded at several locations during their last tour, including London, Nottingham, Cologne and Amsterdam. Those tracks give a good impression what a New Model Army live show entails, the band on fire with vocalist/guitarist Justin Sullivan acting as the main host akin to Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke fame.

It’s also curious to notice that pretty much half of the set list consists of material from their last album, especially considering the band has been around 30 plus years with twelve studio albums worth of material to pull from. But then again it’s heartening to see that New Model Army chooses to live in the present instead of being some lowly nostalgia acts as many of their peers.

What makes Between Wine And Blood a relevant release are the aforementioned six new tracks. Songs like “According To You”, “Devil’s Bargain” and “Sunrise” are worthy additions to the already existing Between Dog And Wolf material. However, they can hold their ground on their own as well.

This double album is a great appetiser for the upcoming second leg of the Between Dog And Wolf tour. Although it may not be particularly interesting for more casual listeners, Between Wine And Blood is a very worthy addition to any New Model Army music collection.

New Model Army – Between Wine And Blood8 out of 10

Track Listing CD 1:

  1. According To You
  2. Angry Planet
  3. Guessing
  4. Happy To Be Here
  5. Devil’s Bargain
  6. Sunrise

Track Listing CD 2:

  1. Stormclouds
  2. March In September
  3. Did You Make It Safe
  4. I Need More Time
  5. Pull The Sun
  6. Lean Back And Fall
  7. Seven Times
  8. Between Dog And Wolf
  9. Summer Moors
  10. Knievel
  11. Horsemen