Swedish Erotica - s/t (1989)

If I told you that in spite of their atrocious band name that members of Swedish Erotica (and yes, they are Swedish) played with numerous metal legends as Malmsteen, TNT, King Diamond, Vinnie Vincent then you'd be thinking that maybe this is one of those really cool, majorly talented acts let down by its moniker, and to some degree you'd be correct. Swedish Erotica are a peculiar bunch - very much archetype melodic metal with punchy, sassy choruses and a few cheeky licks thrown in for good measure - think of a rather harmless blend of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and slightly harder pomp hair metal and you'd be on the right track. It's almost Steel Panther without the overtly tacky lyrics but in its predictability there is a distinctive charm where the likes of 'Love Me or Leave Me' become honey-drenched chuggers showcasing the decent vocal strains and almost run-of-the-mill hair metal joys and chants. In the end this album grows on you like a cheesy fungus, because it's often bombastic, always anthemic and just so generic but how could the '80s survive without a foundation of songs such as 'Downtown' with its formulaic lyrics and middle of the road riffage. But it's good, fuzzy late '80s metal that kept the band in good stead in spite of several line up changes and a career into the '90s and beyond - even if actual output has been somewhat sporadic. For good ol' fashioned party metal, look no further...
7/10

Blackboard Jungle - I Like It A Lot (1992)

For those of you who dig stuff like Saigon Kick, The Front, Kik Tracee et al, then Blackboard Jungle would have been right up your street. Trouble is, this album was so hard to find...as it is today and so they never made any sort of impact on the music scene; in fact they were too cool for school and remain a cult act responsible for some of the grooviest numbers that came before the grunge wave. The title track itself is a semi-psychedelic sway of rousing vocals and varying musical injections to create an almost flowery, funky trip but it was always going to end in tragedy in spite of the glories of 'Chicago', 'Everybody Talk About It', and 'Forever You & I'. Brilliant throughout I can only hang my head in shame at those who failed to recognise such talents.
8.5/10

Aidean - Promises (1988)

Almost sickly in its harmonies, 'Promises' is a bit of an obscurity in terms of melodic rock and comes complete with some rather sneering vocal gripes. Even so, there is a low-budget charm and real catchy quality about this band who hail from German and spout out some of the most irritatingly catchy AOR I've ever heard. One listen to 'Do You Call Again' and 'Rocks You' will put you under the spell of these boys who clearly have an eye for the infectious. With its strong bubble-gum flavour I found myself constantly spinning this obscurity so if you can nab yourself a copy then do give in to the craving.
7/10

Messiah Force - The Last Day (1987)

Hey, it may be a tad tuneless at times but Messiah Force made the mid '80s an extremely entertaining place to be; 'The Last Day' being a wild slab of power metal boosted by the flailing vocal traits of loose cannon Lynn Renaud whose metallion style of breast-pounding was wonderfully complemented by the twin guitar rage of Jean Tremblay and Bastien Deschenes, the overall result being a speed metal fireball to the scrotum built upon the foundations of galloping percussion courtesy of Jean-Francois Boucher and some truly mesmerising songs such as 'Call From The Night' with its ominous intro. Imagine Warlock at their most devilish and 'The Last Day' will no doubt be the sort of '80s metal quest we'd all be privileged to partake in; because in spite of its flaws this is a superb record marrying traditional metal with dense, power and thrash metal.
8/10

Mindless Sinner - Turn On The Power (1986)

Also responsible for the half-decent 'Master of Evil' album, Mindless Sinner were a Swedish bunch who made their living by churning out fiery traditional metal. The '80s were the most productive era for the guys who actually reunited twice; the most recent being in late 2013. 'Turn on the Power' is one of those no thrills records that attempts some sort of epic, chest-pounding metal and it succeeds to some extent - mainly with songs such as 'I'm Gonna (Have Some Fun)' - lyrically basic but some effective guitar work throughout and a few catchy choruses means that in spite of the rather average vocals; this is still a good, solid generic metal release.
6.5/10

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

Cherry St. - Cherry St. (1992)

And yep, it's another ultra-cool sleaze/glam band who came at the wrong time. In spite of carving out a career beyond the realms of the grunge invasion; these guys should've been huge. Musically as infectious as a sexually transmitted disease, Cherry St. boasted the talents of members who would eventually go on to feature for acts such as Dangerous Toys, Vain, Roxx Gang, and in a sense they followed the same theme of releasing decent albums but not getting the recognition. Cherry St's debut album is one that stands out from the crowd; bolstered by fiery vocal sneers and weighty rhythms and above all, cool, classy swaggering tunes in abundance - nowhere more evident than on the smokin' title track and the drunken slam of 'Here I Come'. One of my favourite records in regards to releases that were criminally out of time and proof that 1992 wasn't just about lank-haired moodiness and dressed-down dullness.
8/10

Slik Toxik - Doin' The Nasty (1992)

Oh if only this had been released a few years before then maybe Slik Toxik would've been up there with some of the best; Love/Hate, Kik Tracee etc - mind you, it's not as if those talented chaps got the recognition they deserved either but 'Doin...' was a fine debut record if you have a craving for groove-based sleaze metal. These Canadian's had so much talent; from the cool, sassy vocal sneer of Nick Walsh and that oomphy guitar twang and it wasn't just the usual formulaic sleaze n' roll but sure; there was that element of Guns n' Roses but boy there were times when this album smoked; 'White Lies/Black Truth', 'Sweet Asylum', 'Cherry Bomb' - the list goes on and on and yet it was an album that failed at putting Canada on the map. Of course, from here it was a case of grunge suffocation - Slik Toxik just not knowing where they stood in the scheme of things, but for ballsy sleaze metal you just couldn't go wrong with this punch to the face.
8/10

Trouble Tribe - Trouble Tribe (1990)

Here's a band I never gone on with initially; I guess at the time of its release this self-titled album just lacked the glitz and attitude to really shake the ground; and yet here I am decades later enjoying it for what it is; a solid no thrills hard rock opus boasting a number of simply melodies. Trouble Tribe was the sort of band which simply didn't have the bite to succeed and yet it wasn't really their fault; their modest harmonies and occasionally infectious, pop-edged chants could well have put them in the limelight; but it just didn't happen. 'Here Comes Trouble' was most certainly the sort of track that could have been an accidental hit but that simplistic hair metal design - but one which seemed to lack attitude - didn't put them in good stead and so this debut album was all she wrote. It's worth giving these guys another chance though...
6.5/10

Sgt. Roxx - Weapons of Miss Distraction (2009)

This compilation ties up the best bits of the very brief career of glam rockers Sgt. Roxx who formed back in the mid '80s. The quintet promised much with the release of their 1987 demo 'Squeeze It Some More...' and although this was followed in 1990 by the 'Push & Squeeze' EP it was a case of too little too late and they dissolved, but this opus is a good way of reliving some extremely sprightly moments of a band who were a lot heavier than initially given credit for. Very much on that Crue trip what with Jack Adams' sneering vocals and that weighty guitar sound which enables the likes of 'Push & Squeeze' to really lift off like a love rocket to the moon. Tracks such as 'My Lady' also give an inkling as to how good this band was but with a bulging scene at the time it was just a case of Sgt. Roxx slipping under the radar, so snap this up if you like infectious, swaggering, pouting metal.
7/10

Roxx - Outlaw, Fools & Thieves (2004)

Well, well, well, here I go again, injecting a 'newie' in this vast cauldron of vintage sleaze, glam, death, doom and thrash destruction. Roxx aren't original but there is something charming about this opus - maybe it's the rough vocal rasps of vocalist Joey D'Angeli - the same guy who oh so briefly fronted Skid Row before Sebastian Bach took the throne. But this is no one-trick pony; so what we get are eleven very catchy, glam-laced tunes - the best of these being the infectious bubble-gum sway of 'Give Up Your Heart' and the stomping lipstick drama of 'Too Little Too Late' delivered with enough hairspray to coat the lug-holes. Certainly one of the better contemporary rock n' roll glam bands doing the rounds and it's an album that reeks of experience and sugar-coated licks that should please fans of Pretty Boy Floyd and the likes.
7/10

Roxxi - Drive It To Ya Hard (1990)

Another extremely underrated dose of sleazy, pouting metal which is once again littered with fabulous solos and catchy melodies of confidence and yet once again, these U.S. rockers got nowhere. But we revel in their cult status of being an incredibly overlooked act who only released one album and then faded into further obscurity...but it was a decent legacy to leave behind; the quartet a shining example of how inoffensive metal should be played back in the '80s and driven by the dazzling guitar work of Dave Sciammacco and the cool vocals of Freddy Grasseschi. The title track was a punchy affair which connected well with the ears as a pompous yet angelic chant whilst 'Give It To Me' had that summery guise of joyous, buoyant percussion and breezy recklessness. In a sense al rather formulaic but as a solid as all cock-rock should be, but they weren't afraid to inject a dose of Crue playfulness too with tracks such as 'Fire In My Heart'.
7.5/10

Tuff Luck - Tuff Luck (1987)

Hardly blessed with the most imaginative moniker; these guys were kinda hard done by due to lack of exposure in a clogged field of similar-sounding acts; but then again these guys weren't half bad at all. When I first heard this many moons ago I expected something rather lame and watery but was pleasantly surprised by the heavier, racier passages particularly on tracks such as 'Tonight Tonight' which dare I say it has a thrashy edge especially with the extra dose of shredding. Vocally Andrew Klein did struggle with the notes throughout but one could not argue with the chunky riffs of 'Time Will Tell' and the poppier 'Take It Or Leave It' - the band were a healthy mixture of sleaze and just good ol' fashioned hard rock spruced up by those weightier guitar clanks courtesy of magician Dave Scott. This is an album that grows with each listen and is one where the musicianship outshines the vocal performance; but the overall result is a positive one.
8/10

Atom God - History Re-Written (1992)

Hard to believe this festering slab of speed metal-meets-NWOBHM emerged just as grunge was taking over. But look past the dreadful cover art and you'll find a flailing, flaming mini-masterpiece built upon a foundation of blazing, hurtling guitars and rampant drums. The only real issue here is the production which means that the vocals are pretty much lost to mankind as they lamely flitter between the searing hot riffs and frothing percussion. Trev Toms (who sadly passed away in 2010) deserved to have his voice heard because with a decent producer this could well have been one of metal's finest offerings within the vintage realm. Eight seething tracks, climaxing with the epic 'Death Will Come...' and this is one of those creaky albums you must own but it might be worth ignoring the debut album which emerged at the tail end of the '80s.
7.5/10

Roxanne - Roxanne (1988)

Roxanne were a pretty obscure heavy rock band who had this debut platter released under a different name ('Burning Up The Night') which featured two previously unheard of tracks. Either way, this is a solid, inoffensive opus boasting the powerful vocals of Jamie Brown. I was never sure about the inclusion of the 'Play That Funky Music' cover; but the album did showcase a healthy set of tunes such as 'Burning....', the steady jab of 'Do It All' and the subtle wash of 'Over You'. Extremely underrated stuff and worth checking out if you like melodic rock with a hint of spice.
7/10

Ransom - Ransom (1991)

I don't a lot about these Christian rockers but if you like driving, commercial metal fronted by a fiery female vocalist in Lisa Faxom then you've gotta lend an ear to this. As far as I'm aware they only released a couple of records; but they were more than capable of churning out a top tune more so due to the fact that the guitar work of Tony Ortiz is just fantastic and with that pompous tracks such as 'Lasting Love' take on a whole new guise with that steely backbone and Lisa's superb melodies. Top notch clean-cut rock.
7.5/10

Ice Tiger - Love 'n Crime (1991)

Interesting melodic rock here from Australian posse Ice Tiger who came rather too late with this half-decent, middle of the road plodder of an opus which showcased such obscure delights as the fancy 'Little Runaway' and the sublime 'Turn to Fantasy', all the numbers on offer having a Dio feel only with a fleck of subtlety to separate the two bands. Vocally, Dave Crosby could never match the wizardry of Ronnie James Dio but his soothing voice is certainly ideal for any mid to late '80s commercial rock so it's a shame these guys didn't really make the grade.
7/10

Concrete Jungle - Wear & Tear (1988)

A bit of a personal favourite this one; even with the inclusion of the rather awful cover of 'Great Balls of Fire'. Having said that Concrete Jungle's twelve track affair is still a sturdy slab of sleaze-edged rock n' roll boasting a number of infectious, and yet surprisingly heavy tunes including the fantastic title track; the short but sweet stomper 'Sweet Missy' with its bubble-gum rock edge and the fiery swagger of 'Right on the Line of Love' showcasing J.C. Ryan's cool, sassy vocal swoon. Certainly not the world's most successful band but 'Wear & Tear' was symbolic of its time and an album I highly recommend.
7.5/10