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