Circus Of Power - Vices (1990)

This being the band's second record, now signed to RCA. Circus Of Power play decent dark-edged sleaze metal daubed in oil, grease and lady juice! Pure rock 'n' roll swagger, sits well alongside Zodiac Mindwarp, The Cult, and hell, even Danzig for sultry gloom. Of course, there's the Stones-esque beginnings of 'Don't Drag Me Down' which drifts effortlessly as a cool ballad, whilst 'Temptation' is a rattlesnake shake of a cut steeped in Faster Pussycat sneer and Cult-esque bravado. Circus Of Power never made the big time and were soon swallowed up by the grunge invasion, and with 'Vices' merely sporting good old fashioned sleaze rock, it was never gonna be easy from here on. Vocally, Alex Mitchell is strained, but in a good way, his rasp playing mouse to the catty guitars. The cover reminds me of some half-hinted early '90s alterno-metal record, and I think some people want C.O.P. to slot right in there with that scene, but instead, 'vices' is more akin to a night in a piss-drenched alley.

7/10