Chrome Molly - Angst (1988)

This is pretty dated sounding 'metal' that is high on melody and with a distinctive poppy edge. A track like 'Take Me I'm Yours' with that awful piano may put some metalheads off for life, but when the band do attempt to rock out they are mediocre at best. 'Too Far Gone' is about as hot as it gets, Tim Read is far looser on the guitars and Hawkins clear, almost wimpy vocals can also begin to grate and for me there's too much emphasis on the ligher side. 'Take It Or Leave' it has that watery, techno Def Leppard feel, made all the more pompous by the keyboard injection. It's a shame because there are some decent guitars on this record, but it spends too much time with its feet in the lukewarm, particularly the smooching 'I Want To Find Out' where the half-decent guitars are struggling to burst free. The short but sweet 'Living A Lie' almost saves the album from drowning, but the constant fluffy echoes seem insistent on wrestling the guitars into submission. Very much one for the fans of puppy metal. 5/10