Don't really know what to make of these guys to be honest. Often, and once touted as rock 'n' roll's next big thing, it's taken years, and several albums to do nothing at all, and upon hearing 'Melodrama' I can't help but feel this is a band with talent, but too much corniness in their sound to really be appreciated. Vocally, it's almost out of tune with the music which is a hybrid of summery '60s melody and hard rock, the band producing several numbers that bring to mind The Rolling Stones, but if you want your music retro yet still touching then try Enuff Z Nuff. It's a fine line between influence and imitation, and I can't see what Spiders & Snakes are doing here, in the UK a track like 'Shoot Me Down' would be cast aside as pop candy, and the strut of 'Yesterdays Hero' is awkward, the band offering up something akin to '80s cheesy glam mixed with The Sweet, probably the only band who could get away with such glittery massages.
I'm aware of the band's catalogue, but there's just too many songs here all too eager to steal from the '60s swagger but in the case of 'Kicks' or shuffle of 'Friends Like You', I'm detecting a rather embarrassing element to it all, as if the band want to believe they are true rock 'n' rollers but all I'm hearing is cliche. This is more '80s Alice Cooper circa 'Trash' than New York Dolls and the finale of 'Forever' is like a bad tribute to The Beatles. Get another singer.
4/10
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