Superdrag

In the Valley of Dying Stars

(Arena Rock Recordings)

Too many bands in the music industry try to sound different by adding various effects to their albums with a result that is generally negative. But veteran rockers Superdrag continue to put out quality records of straight-up rock ’n’ roll without the extra baggage.

Best known for its place in MTV history in the “Buzz Bin” for its 1996 single “Sucked Out,” Superdrag’s latest album, “In The Valley of Dying Stars,” is chock-full of pure and intense rock-a-tude. The foursome blends the heaviness of its major-label debut, “Regretfully Yours,” with the more easygoing content of its follow-up, “Head Trip in Every Key.”

The album is balanced extremely well, from the piano-driven “Some Kind of Tragedy” to the radio-friendly “Keep it Close to Me” to the persistent “Bright Pavilions.”

“Goin’ Out” is the gem of the album, and even though most of the string patterns used by John Davis and Brandon Fisher have been heard before, lyrical hooks are what set this band apart. Superdrag has a knack for blending memorable choruses with string patterns that sound too simple for their own good.

“Lighting the Way” is an easygoing, distortion-filled tune, while the epic “The Warmth of a Tomb” conveys a depressing theme, emphasizing its weeping vocals that much more.

“Ambulance Driver” even hints at Fisher’s bluesy side, while “Unprepared” demonstrates that to write a song that will live on forever, emotion is all that’s required.

Even though the band barely got over the hump of the “one-hit wonder” category with its brush of fame on Elektra Records, Superdrag put its trust in an independent record company and rocks even harder on this collection of marvelous songs. By far its best record to date.