Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil (1983)

The Crue boys turn up the metal and sprinkle a little bit of Satan's glitter on proceedings with this affair, even with the back of the record cover claiming: CAUTION - THIS RECORD MAY CONTAIN BACKWARDS MESSAGES. Well, that statement was good enough for me and millions of other fans who'd become entranced by the imagery of the hairspray sluts, adorned in leather and dodgy make-up for the photo, whilst the front cover was merely black and daubed with an inverted pentagram, although the alternative cover, shown here, had the band in fine form posing like back alley harlot's fanning the fires of the underworld.
'Shout At The Devil' is a very metal album, but lacks the sheer sleaze and glammed up weight of the startling debut record. 'In The Beginning', an attempt at eerie effects, melts into 'Shout At The Devil', which many a parent and governing body took offence to despite the message being exactly the opposite to what its critics had concluded. Musically, it's a glam-rock stomper, with fist-punching chorus chant, and that's one thing Nikki Sixx has an amazing eye for, whether subtle or rockin' in its hardest form, the Crue chorus is always memorable, simplistic and has that solid bond of glam sweetness and metal strut.
'Looks That Kill' is certainly like something from 'Too Fast For Love', a wonderful riff from Mick Mars backed by Tommy Lee's rattling, whereas 'Bastard' leans towards the streetwise side.
The record's only real lull is a strange cover of The Beatles 'Helter Skelter', but considering it's alleged associations with the Manson family, maybe it was put on here to stir up a bit of controversy, but it's the musical quality of 'Ten Seconds To Love' (another air-punching chorus) and the prancing 'Too Young To Fall In Love' that we'll remember most about the album. It's an essential album for any doting Crue fanatic, but the band were certainly far more suited to crunching glam sleaze than attempting something that W.A.S.P and the likes had done, but then again, back in the early '80s, every band was lickin' the arse of Satan.
8/10