Battle Born (Deluxe Edition)

Fours years after their 2008 album 'Day and Age' and after some solo diversions The Killers reunite (and bring onboard some new collaborators including Fran Healy as well) and return with their fourth studio album.

Although the opener 'Flesh and Bone' isn't my favourite track on the album the triple whammy after that of 'Runaways' and 'The Way It Was' (which both brim with Springsteen's influence on Flowers and Co, in particular 'Runaways' which almost serves as a Killers-esque version of 'The River') and 'Here with Me' have them bringing big sounds and lyrics back again.

The midsection of the album has them sounding in places a bit like they did back on Hot Fuss (especially 'A Matter of Time' to my ears) with lots of synth and 80s influences clearly audible and then continues through several more pleasing tracks until the big ending with title track 'Battle Born' itself ending things off.

Here on the deluxe edition you get three bonus tracks in the form of 'Carry Me Home' and 'Prize Fighter' with a Jacques Lu Cont remix of opener 'Flesh and Bone'. The remix didn't do a whole lot for me but the two other tracks are really good and for me worth the extra spend of a couple quid.

Great stuff!

Could this be the best Killers album since Hot Fuss, yes, it is! Flesh and Bone is the best Album opener since Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Runaways is their best rocker since When You Were Young, Here With Me is a well aranged peice of music, A Matter of Time is very much like a mix of Midnight Show and Sweet Talk, Deadlines and Commitments is a beautiful synth pop song with Phil Collins-esque drumming, a bass solo and it very Brandon Flowers sounding, Miss Atomic Bomb is fantastic, wouldn't be out of place on Hot Fuss or Day and Age, The Rising Tide is a mixture of Spaceman and For Reasons Unknown, Be Still is a processed beat ballad that is a new sound from The Killers, then you have the title track Battle Born, the best closer to any Killers album, a synth-rock beaty, that at first I wasn't into, but it's one of my favourite tracks on the album and up there with the best. Summary; This is what Day and Age should have been, most songs would easily fit on any previous Killers album. Standout tracks are; Flesh and Bone, Runaways, The Way it Was, Deadlines and Commitments, Miss Atomic Bomb, Rising Tide, Battle Born, this album is still pretty fresh after only having it for a week, but there is no reason why this could be your favourite Killers album to date, top album!