Bad Matrix
Title: Dangerous Game
Label: Independent
Release Date:2nd September 2026
Bad Matrix coming back with "Dangerous Game" feels like someone opened a dusty old time capsule from 1988. Luckily Robs partner came across this unreleased work of art , and said to him, “This needs to be out in the world and not forgotten!” its a bunch of riffs still glowing red‑hot and rocking away undiscovered for years!
This is a resurrection from the days when rock was loud, hair was bigger, and life didn’t come with Wi‑Fi!
It’s the kind of Album that makes you grin, it works with the swagger of band members that survived the era of spandex, shoulder pads, and record label nonsense, only to return decades later sounding better than half the kids who weren’t even born when these songs first existed.
This band of veterans features Rob Sas who returns like a man who’s fought time, taxes, and terrible fashion trends and somehow won. His riffs feel like they’ve been marinating in decades of life experience. Phil Crombie holds the low end like he’s anchoring a ship in a storm. You can practically hear him thinking, “We’re really doing this?..It awesome!”
Cosmic guitar dust is everywhere as Paul Morris delivers the goods, making the songs shimmer like the soundtrack to a retro arcade game where everything is neon and slightly dangerous. Paul Mallyon hits the drums like he’s trying to wake the dead and judging by this album, he succeeded.Peter Zaleski sings like he’s been waiting his whole life to front a band with this much history, and elephant‑based symbolism. Together, they sound like a group of men who’ve lived, laughed, lost, and decided, “Sod it let’s remake and deliver the album we always wanted.”
These nine re‑recorded tracks aren’t just polished they’re revitalised, like someone fed the original tapes a protein shake and a motivational speech.They’ve got that classic late‑’80s melodic punch, but now they hit with modern clarity and the kind of emotional weight you only get after surviving several decades of real life.It’s nostalgic without being dusty. Funny without being parody. Venomous without being bitter.It’s the sound of a band saying: “We’re older, but we’re not done. Not even close!”
Stand out tracks for me are the title track its the band kicking the door down. It’s got that classic hard‑rock swagger the kind that makes you want to strut even if you’re just walking to the kettle. Rob’s riffs slice through like he’s settling old scores, and Peter belts it like he’s been waiting decades to finally sing this thing properly. This one is pure ’80s heart the kind of track that would’ve been on a mixtape you made for someone who never listened to it. Now it’s polished, punchy, and dripping with that “we survived life and we’re still loud” energy.
"Masquerade" and final track "Heaven Sent" are triumphant ,defiant and feels like the bands making a statement "We are Back" And ready to "ROCK" your world! This is just a select few on a fabulous opus!
That elephant on the cover isn’t a metaphor it’s a witness. A massive, grey, judgemental witness.
It’s giving you that look that says: “I remember the ’80s. All of it. You guys were lucky I didn’t call the emergency services!”
It’s serene, wise, and radiating the energy of someone who’s seen your past and is quietly surprised, disappointed and in awe.
Dangerous Game is nostalgic without being dusty, and venomous without being bitter. It’s a resurrection album that relives the past, embraces the present, and kicks the future in the shins.
Review: Seb Di Gatto Score:9/10 Facebook
Reviewed:17/08/2026
Track Listing
1. Welcome
2. Masquerade
3. Hole in My Heart
4. Taking It Out on Me
5. Dangerous Game
6. Kiss of Life
7. Heaven Above
8. Guilty Heart
9. My Regret
10. Heaven Sent
Band Lineup:
Rob Sas,(Guitar) Phil Crombie (bass), Paul Morris (keyboards), Paul Mallyon (drums), and Peter Zaleski (vocals)
