These guys were up against it right from the get go as they were being touted as the next Van Halen – and we all know boys and girls that that just isn’t happening. I get the similarities for sure, definitely with the image of the Dave Lee Roth wannabe in vocalist Marq Torien, but musically they were a lot different with a much simpler approach. I remember going to Nottingham Rock City to see them when they first came over, and they were good, but they only played for 48 minutes and see ya.
Hard As Rock gets things under way nicely – a good rockin’ tune and very blues based in structure. The not very subtle, Smooth Up In Ya, is next and is a typical hair rock anthem of the time. Owed To Joe follows and has that LA sleazy rock n roll vibe to it, and Torien shows what a powerful voice he has. Shoot The Preacher Down arrives and this is where they try to be VH – its very Hot For Teacher, but not a bad tune nonetheless. For The Love Of Money closes out Side 1 and is the weakest song so far.
Side 2 starts with the sleazy groove of Kissin Kitty, and you should be runnin’ to the wardrobe to unearth the spandex by now. The intro to Hell On My Heels reminds me of Kiss and it’s my least favourite track on the album. Crank Me Up is the out and out rocker on the album and is a great track. This should loosen up the dandruff. The super sleazy riff of Badlands is the intro to the penultimate track on the album, and is another great track – especially as they change the groove near the end. F#9 closes out the album and is the ultimate sleaze out rocker, lyrically as well as musically.
I know they are still going today, but they have fallen way down the food chain. The first three albums were the only ones that mattered, in fact, this is the best and the other two were very patchy. If someone was to release a best of, it would be killer, but they could never quite make a killer album. This is the one that came closest.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
