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Now on album number ten, you have to hand it to Eddie Vedder and co that they are one of the few acts part of the Seattle grunge explosion of the early 90s that have shown the longevity to still be gracing us with new releases.
But Lightning Bolt is a record that - in places - raises the question of how a band that made their fortune based on a sound defined by energy and sonic exuberance can have the same impact now they find themselves the wrong side of middle age.
There's nothing particularly wrong with this as a Pearl Jam album. Long-time fans will enjoy it, but it's fair to say it will win few new ones - safe songwriting and arrangements following the same formula the band have used for more than three decades.
Opener 'Getaway' is probably the only track on the record that could be described as providing a real statement of intent. It mirrors the punchy yet anthemic guitar sound that thrust them into the mainstream following the release of their 1991 debut 'Ten'.
But unfortunately things lose momentum a bit from here. Granted, it must be difficult for a band that have such a loyally devoted fanbase to risk alienating them, but it would be nice to see them at least try and push the boundaries of their comfort zone.
'Mind Your Manners' is a strangely reserved call to action from a group who are synonymous with a grunge movement built on aggression, but perhaps an indication of them losing a little bite now they find themselves the wrong side of middle age.
The album really starts to pass me by when 'Sirens' gets going and provides the record's first venture into softer territory. The track plods its way through five minutes 90s-sounding power balladry that, in all honesty, has very little to offer in 2013.
There are a few moments that liven things up a little. The album's title track and 'Let the Records Play' are built around riffs that demand a little more engagement, but ultimately they are not enough to save the record from being firmly confined to the middle of the road.
I'm by no means saying this is an album that is completely redundant. Pearl Jam's biggest fanatics and those old enough to have experienced the rise of grunge first hand will potentially find an angle of nostalgia that will give them a great deal of satisfaction.
But at a time when latest releases from contemporaries like Pixies and Dinosaur Jr have impressed by not straying from - but remoulding - age-old formulas to create something fresh, Lightning Bolt fails to follow suit.
Listen to the new single 'Sirens' below
