WHAT do you do when you are one of the biggest bands on the planet and you are on album number nine?

Is that the stage when ideas can start to dry up? When boredom and indifference can creep in after years of success?

Thankfully after more than 20 years, the Foo Fighters can still defy expectations and play by their own rules. Frontman Dave Grohl is now very much a huge rock icon in his right but he also wears his influences on his sleeve.

He and the rest of the band are seasoned musicians who are clearly just as excited about what they are putting out as the fans.

In terms of style, Grohl does not seek to reinvent the wheel with Concrete and Gold – but simply perfect what he does best.

The record fluctuates between heavy rock and classic rock, often combining the two.

It amounts to a collection of 11 of Foo Fighters’ biggest and catchiest anthems in years.

Among the highlights are Run, which combines the gentle melodic rock that the group perfected on There Is Nothing Left To Lose bolted together with some of their heaviest riffs. It might sound incongruent but it works like a charm.

The opening of Make It Right has one of Foo Fighters’ catchiest hooks – not bad considering they already have hundreds of songs under their belt. And The Sky Is A Neighbourhood sounds like a big 70s rock style singalong. But every song here is massive and demands to be played loud.

A huge accomplishment proving that new ideas can still flow after years in the game.

DAVID MORGAN