Dropkick Murphys

“The boys are back,” chants Al Barr on the opening track of Dropkick Murphys eighth release, Signed And Sealed In Blood. Following the band’s signature bagpipes the album picks up to its full assault.

“Prisoner’s Song,” with its dancing mandolin, sounds all too familiar, as the band sticks close to what it knows best. The song, though good, sounds like a less-than-par rehashing of older classics like “Shipping Out To Boston.”

The third track and first single from the album, “Rose Tattoo,” calms things down for the Massachusetts Celtic punkers, packing in some of the best lyrics of the album, “some may be from showing up, others are from growing up, sometimes I was so messed up and didn’t have a clue.”

Signed And Sealed In Blood lulls in the middle, delivering less than exciting, recycled fare, that feels standard for a band 16 years into its career. “Burn” and “Jimmy Collins’ Wake” pick up the tempo and prove these boys can still rock, only to be quickly forgotten.

But late in game, with tracks like “Don’t Tear Us Apart,” “Out On The Town,” and “Out Of Our Head,” the rockers show some signs of life. “We’re gonna cause a riot, we’re gonna rip it up. We’re gonna storm the gates, this place is goin’ up,” the band screams in the opening bars of “Out Of Our Head.”

Signed And Sealed In Blood may not win over any new listeners, but this tried and true record is sure to please the band’s longtime fans.