Diamond Rexx

Having more in common with W.A.S.P. and Mötley Crüe than the throngs of hairspray bands they were lumped in with back in 1986, Diamond Rexx may have looked like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb dropping on Poison’s wardrobe/makeup counter but their sonic fury was in fact, quite impressive. Raunchy rock’n’roll hyped up on Scarface-esque piles of cocaine, they should have elicited comparisons to Nasty Savage and Manowar with a slightly more effeminate aesthetic. What happened though was that they became a casualty of the war against ballad bands and fell into obscurity. Land Of The Damned rocks thanks to its trashy guitar riffs, Keel-ish chants and testosterone-driven vocal delivery. It should win over the studded-belt crowd who will thoroughly enjoy its sleazy nature as long as they don’t see the outlandish band photo emblazoned across the back cover. Barring that and the inevitable relegation to "guilty pleasure” status, the new breed of Kill Cheerleader/Silver/Backyard Babies glam rockers will eat it up.