'The Monkey Puzzle' not only sees the return of UFO to the studio since their 2004 release 'You Are Here', but also sees original drummer Andy Parker’s return to the fold after Jason Bonham left the band to join Foreigner.

The band have always had more than their fair share of mixed press over the years, with much publicised band member changes and rejoining of said members over the years, but one thing has remained static, that is the quality of the music the band has put out over its thirty-five years in the business.

The band have always been seen as a band that refused to be pigeon holed into the various rock categories over the years, and with this new release the band remain true to that legacy.

The album opens up with the blues ridden ‘Hard Being Me’, with the multi talented Vinnie Moore strutting his stuff on this one and the unmistakable vocals of Phil Mogg sounding as sharp as ever.

The album continues with the hard rocker ‘Heavenly Body’, a song that has vintage UFO written all over it, with Pete Way’s thumping bass and Mogg’s melodious tones, both supported admirably by the superb fret work of Moore and the steady rhythms of Parker.

‘Some Other Guy’ is the first track off the album to highlight the keyboards of Paul Raymond in all their glory.  This bluesy rock style is typical of the classic UFO of old.

The pace and tempo of the album are picked up with ‘Who’s Fooling Who’, a track that starts off slowly but then soon picks up into a real mid tempo rocker, with the star being once again the guitars of Moore (Michael who???).

The up-tempo feel is continued with one of my favourite tracks off the album ‘Black And Blue’, another great bluesy feel to this one.  The melodies just keep coming with the excellent ‘Drink Too Much’ and the down trodden blues of ‘World Cruise’, before launching into the guitar fuelled ‘Down By The River’.

‘Goodbye You’ is another fine song that once highlights the excellent guitars of Moore and Mogg’s soulful vocals.

As with all UFO releases, there are one or two really outstanding tracks and with 'The Monkey Puzzle' things aren’t any different.  First up of those tracks is the hard rocker ‘Rolling Man’, although my favourite song off the album has to be the excellent ‘Kingston Town’.  If ever a track optimises the UFO sound then this surely is it, with its tremendous guitars and great vocals and ever present rhythm section.

It closes what is another tour de force album for the band and one that continues another chapter in the UFO story.