Janus; the Roman god of beginnings, gates, duality, doorways, and endings, in short, he’s the perfect symbol for the latest Spear Of Destiny album. It’s a record that finds the band revisiting, reconfiguring and reworking songs from two 1980’s albums (Outland and The Price You Pay), to deliver them how bandleader Kirk Brandon originally envisioned them. Therefore, Janus finds the band looking back and forwards, delving deep into their discography, giving their songs an overhaul to ensure they’ll still sound fresh and exciting many years hence.

It can be something of a poisoned chalice when band returns to their back catalogue and re-record tracks. Fans have such a personal connection with those songs, and in the case of a band like Spear Of Destiny, those songs helped to define an era. Therefore it can feel a tad Stalinist when bands tinker with their past, almost as if they are trying to rewrite history. However, when it comes to Outland and The Price You Pay, Spear Of Destiny have legitimate reasons for re-recording these tracks. Firstly, their relationship with label Virgin was fairly tempestuous (indeed, these were to be their last releases for Virgin) and led to some “strange” decisions, and secondly the albums never quite sounded as Kirk wished, and both issues have been corrected on this 24 track double album.

With the track list amended and rearranged to include songs that were omitted due to record label pressure, Janus places familiar songs into new context. It’s one of those songs which opens this set in the shape of ‘The Jungle’, a track that was far too good to be hidden away all these years and evidences what a rich seam of creativity the band were mining. In the almost 40-years since ‘Never Take Me Alive’ was first recorded, Kirk Brandon’s voice has aged particularly well, there’s a world-weariness and a weight of experience that adds an authoritative tone to cuts such as ‘Whole World’s Waiting’ that was lacking in the original, and I must say it’s a vast improvement. ‘Soldier Soldier’ has a missing verse reinstated, giving the song its full cinematic quality. But it’s mainly the songs from Outland that are the biggest revelation; original recorded on a (then) state-of-the-art Fairlight 3, it’s futurist sound soon became dated, but the likes of ‘The Traveller’ now have a timeless quality. The military muster of ‘Jack Straw’ (another strong cut hidden away) now takes its rightful place amongst other Destiny classics and it’s gems such as this and the likes of ‘Pumpkin Man’, peppered throughout the album that make it such an intriguing listen.

Janus works because it isn’t just a collection of old songs cobbled together; the sequencing and re-recordings make Janus seem like a brand new Spear Of Destiny album, and in that respect, Janus will appeal to fans old and new.

• Janus is released on 23rd May 2025 (available here).
• Kirk Brandon Official | Facebook | Instagram | X

Track List:

1. The Jungle
2. Land Of Shame
3. Never Take Me Alive
4. Radio Radio
5. So In Love With You
6. Spirits
7. Strangers In Our Town
8. Embassy Song
9. Junk Man
10. March Or Die
11. Dreamtime
12. The Man Who Never Was
13. Whole World’s Waiting
14. The Price
15. Soldier Soldier
16. The Traveller
17. Outlands
18. I Remember
19. Jack Straw
20. Time Of Our Lives
21. Tinsel Town
22. View From A Tree
23. Somewhere Out There
24. Pumpkin Man