Today I bring you a review of an album called “Infestation”, which was released in the later part of last year (2010) by none other than the legendary hard rocking, wild party group, with sexual innuendo’s straight out of the 1980’s itself, RATT.
Now just to start here if you don’t know who “RATT” exactly are and your saying I’ve never heard their music, believe me you have actually. Countless 1980’s movies, and radio stations even today, on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and more play their music on a consistent basis. Most of you actually know their signature song as it is listed on most 1980’s & 1990’s Ballad Compilation CD albums. 1984’s “Round And Round.” I’m sure once you hear this song again you will be right on track here.
Most may not know that the lead singer of RATT is none other than the Wild Front Man himself “Stephen Pearcy.” With most of their members now in their fifties its hard to imagine that they are rocking as hard as they still do but, one listen to this new album, will transport those of you who may have been around then, right back to 1984 and their very first album “Out of the Cellar.”
That band is seen by many (including me) as an essential piece of the 1980’s hair metal scene, and transports us all back to a time at least (in this writer’s opinion) that was much simpler, and simply better in terms of music and the world. I salute the 1980’s as I sit here and write this and think back to a time of never ending parties, lights, and everything else we could never get enough of. I will never forget those days, how I do miss them.
On to the new album “Infestation.”
Track One: “EAT ME UP ALIVE” comes out of the gate just as hard rocking as one could expect from the boys here and does not slow down, it is literally a straight to your face, sex driven innuendo, shot to your body that just puts you into that relaxed “To Cool For School” type of attitude.
Track Two: “Best Of Me” is the track that will transport you back to the 1980’s. Just listen to the rhythm section and those guitars crank up and that once again hard edge rocking love song about someone, and love trying to leave, comes all flooding back, pleading to all of us with its chorus “No No, Please Don’t Leave Me, Standing Here Alone, You Got “The Best of Me” like a cry directly from the 1980’s to not go because the party is still going.
Track Three: “A Little Too Much” is a track that spells it out for everyone. As it states in many more word “Here is the deal, and this is how it’s going to be.” Straightforward and Hard Rocking, as the Train we are on now for this journey just keeps rolling along with us in full swing with the rhythm carrying us along felt in this track.
Track Four: “Look Out Below” is a track swimming in blues laced sludge. One listen to the Guitars and the Rhythm section and its slowed pace bring this right to the front for the listener. It’s almost like the music is in a sense going out of its way in a sense “coming to get you!” It is just Hard Rocking, and definitely a Truly Wicked track to listen to.
Track Five: “Last Call” Well take me to the Bar with this one here. We pick the speed right back up, and flying down the road we go. This is Modern “Rock N Roll” at its finest (if you ask me). Just dancing with some Bluesy Sludge Undertones in the background harmonies for an extra-added nice touch. The moments of slowdowns and buildups are also a newer welcome change on this rock n roll track as your given just enough space to get back into the groove and keep right on going if you miss a step. This is definitely another track worth listening to here.
Track Six: “Lost Weekend” This track folks really grabbed and stood out to me. It slams in hard and just takes you to the summer instantly, and you all know the day I’m talking about. It is the day where everyone piles in the car, the sun is out, the coolers are loaded down, and everyone is headed down to the beach for a weekend of fun in the sun, while we’re still so damn young and in high school with out a care in the world, and as we drive this song is playing while we watch the girls strip going down the road along side of us in their little hot to trot convertible or whatever sports car, and how we wish we’re in that car but we know they are headed to the beach too. This song is one of the “Ultimate” party anthems I believe of all time.
Track Seven: “As Good As It Gets” Now this is the track where the sludge finally comes to the surface. This track is just covered, drenched, and dripping, in soulful southern blues, jazz, and good old-fashioned rock n roll. It has edge, it has soul, it just gets your body moving to the slow steady rhythm where everyone is just so damn cool as far as anyone can see at this party and can tell. Like they sing it is truly “As Good As It Gets” on this one. Let the rhythm carry you away here.
Track Eight: “Garden Of Eden” This is a moment of literal “Rock N Roll” perfection to me. This song catches you in the beginning and just will not let you go. Not to fast, not to slow, it just puts you right in the moment that defined the 1970’s, blues swinging sludge, hard rocking, and just describes someone to a perfect literal T., and you know, it could even be me its talking about, so you (dear reader) reading this, might just have to personally meet me someday to find out if it’s true.
Track Nine: “Take A Big Bite” Here we are folks on the home stretch of our trip, and the speed here is just insane. I can’t say anything else other than for this part of the ride I’m going to do just that and “Take A Big Bite.” This track is simply FUCKING WICKED!!!! HORNS UP \m/ \m/ Rock N Roll again at its finest!!!
Track Ten: “Take Me Home” This track seemed a bit out of place to me for some reason. It’s still a definite good track, and it definitely has a slowed down, bluesy, ballad type of vibe that RATT has always been known for in the past. This track though (in my opinion) really didn’t fit in with the overall mix here, though it is a good moment to catch your breath as our journey is almost over.
Track Eleven: “Don’t Let Go” Right out of the starting gate as we can see our destination back to the present coming up fast. “Don’t Let Go” gives it all its got, to get us there fast. Once again throughout this track you can almost hear the 1980’s calling out to us one last time, as the time portal closes behind us, giving us our last glimpses of what once was, and laid the foundation for the music we experience today. This track is definitely a blitzkrieg right to the ears and jugular, even for RATT” that’s pretty damn good to me!
RATT have definitely recaptured that “SPARK” that made them one of the Hair Metal Gods of the 1980’s and their new album “Infestation” does not fail, as it simply picks right back up where it left off in 1985. Infestation is Eleven Solid Tracks of Rock N Roll that transport us back in time to the 1980’s with modern day technology and sound, showing where we have been and where we are now. This simply is a great album and (at least for me) it does stay in constant heavy rotation in my music choices so go check it out, and experience a little piece of a time when the party never stopped.
Catch you all on the WILDSIDE!!!!
- JB
No comments:
Post a Comment