Bobnoxious

Stepping up the ante since their eponymous debut, London, ON’s Bobnoxious has clearly rediscovered a penchant for having fun. Where the first album saw the band swinging wildly (albeit with inherent cool) and dishing out a direct assault of anger and wild cannons, Rockaholics finds former Razor/SFH singer Bob Reid and crew pulling back and taking new stock. They appear enjoying metal again instead of griping about rednecks and jobs. A "concept” album (term used in loosest of senses), Rockaholics — subtitled "The Fun Drinking Game” — follows a typical Bobnoxious hesher through a sad day and inevitably gets us disgustingly plastered in the process. Thick backbeats are so AC/DC-inspired, Angus Young must be shivering over in Australia and the crisp sheen of the production is resilient and blazing. Overall, Rockaholics is aptly-titled: it’s a hard dose of straight-up rock’n’roll with crunchy guitars and Reid’s inimitable raspy wail. It emotes fantasies of the Canadian Motörhead thanks to an enticing simplicity.