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HOLLYWOOD HAIRSPRAY, Vol. 5
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Otherwise, all systems go. Perris have been cheerleaders for aging glam-blouses for years now (remember Dad’s Porno Mag?), and these fun, funny comps neatly bridge the gap ‘tween the oldster holdouts and the hip young dudes. They are always wildly uneven, of course, but that’s par for the course when it comes to comps. Unless I compiled them. I did not compile this one. Things start off smashingly with “Instinct Animal” from one Chris Laney, a Swede who is, apparently, in Zan Clan. I dunno what Zan Clan is (I think it’s got something to do with Shotgun Messiah), but the track is gloriously over-produced sleaze-cheese that sounds like some unholy cross between metal-comeback Alice and Hysteria-era Def Lep. Cool. The next track, “Hearts on Fire”, by a Swedish band named Hollywood is fucking awful, pure 80’s pop-metal soundtrack filler. Like Autograph, or something. Then Dirty Rig, Kory Clarke’s new biker metal band, tears into “Suck It”, one of the least glam songs you’ll ever hear. It’s pure meat and wild-eyed terror, and it fuckin’ rocks, but I dunno why it’s here. Radio Viper, an Italian band, gamely try and dredge up some flash metal excitement, but mostly fall flat. The Bastardz are a Brazilian punk n’ roll band, who offer up the with-it but underproduced AC/DC-slash-GN’R pastiche “Pills”. Not bad. Aussie freaks The Deadthings grind their way through a lipstick smacking Crue-cop called “Forever Damned”. I can dig it. Sweet Cheater are local boys (local being Boston, if you're me), who did, as the name suggest, sound like Ratt back in the 80’s. They do here, too. Dunno if it’s a vintage track, but Jesus, I hope so. Gunshy’s fruity power-ballad sounds like all that Firehouse/Saigon Kick bullshit. Next. On Parole are monstrous, Motorheadbanging Swedes who would rather kick the living shit out of pussies like Gunshy than be on an album with ‘em, so I was scratching my head over why they’re here, but their track, “Midnight In her Eyes” is actually a chewy, glammy hard rocker. Nice stuff. Jack Viper? Forget it. Alter Ego X ? Dutch. Maniacal vox. Probably closer to Krokus than they’d like. Silver Dirt offer up a decent boogie-rocker called “Go! She Said” that’ll appeal to Four Horsemen fans, put probably not to the mascara kids. The Backseat Superstars are the best band on the record – loud, sexy sleaze rock with big choruses and headbanging riffs. More, please. Snow are Brazilian and very derivative. Hanoi already rocked, fellas. UK raunch rockers Nice N’ Sleezy sound like teenage delinquents with Wrathchild UK posters on their walls and half a can of Aqua Net in their hair. Promising, but woefully under-produced. Straight Fork shut this one done with some pro-sounding riffola reminiscent of, I dunno, Salty Dog. So there ya go. It’s only hairspray-ish about half the time, but flash metal hold-outs oughta find a few sleazy gems in the mix. ________________________________________________________ |
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-Sleazegrinder |
First
off, the chick on the cover of this, the 5th installment of
Perris Records’ never-ending glamstory, practically begged to be a
Sleazegrinder Girl a cuppla years back, and then never ponied up the
shots, which means she owes me a t-shirt. Tell her that if you see her.