The lads dilute the plastic glam image and are now decked out like cowboys with a catalogue pose! I guess only the US bands of this ilk can get away with this image and sound for so long. Of course, Poison haven't completely disowned their bubblegum rock, 'Unskinny Bop' is as popcorn and sickly as it gets but the band have attempted, on a few cuts anyway, to find a little more depth and grit. Michael's is on form on 'Valley Of Lost Souls' although it's a little too Van Halen for me, whereas '(Flesh And Blood) Sacrifice)' has a sleazy edge. The cowboy skiffle of 'Let It Play' really should have been omitted from the record but thankfully the band find some kind of emotion on 'Something To Believe In' and 'Life Loves A Tragedy'. Naturally the band find it impossible to avoid the cliches and when 'Ride The Wind' comes cruising through the speakers like a glammed up Harley Davidson, I find myself reaching for the cheese bucket, but then again, that's what Poison are all about...I guess. Fourteen cuts, including two short instrumentals, and sadly too many teenage rockers, i.e. 'Don't Give Up An Inch', prove as to why Poison can only be taken in small doses.
Metal DOES need bands like this and I respect them for it...but sitting through an album can be a tad too sickly. Bizarrely, I find 'Open Up And Say...' far more rewarding!
6/10
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