Heavy Bones - Heavy Bones (1992)

Just a shame these guys never formed earlier than 1990, the wonderfully unknown Hollywood act Heavy Bones had everything going for them - great vocals from Joe Ellis, a catchy rhythm section hardened by the percussion of Frankie Banali (better known for featuring with Quiet Riot) and bass of Scott Thunes who would be replaced in 1992 by Rex Tennyson.

Their self-titled album was an absolute corker of an opus sporting weight and melody which shone on tracks such as '4:00 A.M. T.M.' which reminded me of War Babies in the sense that serious groove-orientated rock was the order of the day; no time for gimmicks and lashings of extra crunch. It's crazy that this album hardly sold and so as grunge began its sickly takeover Heavy Bones were already dead in the dust but this was a mighty fine legacy to leave behind. I still think that these guys could have survived into the mid to late '90s because their sound was versatile enough to break the boundaries of ordinary sleaze rock, but alas it was not to be...but if you are able to lend an ear to the likes of 'The Light of Day', 'Anna', 'Beating Heart' et al then you'll hear a mature and promising act cut down by the cruel hand of fate.
8/10