Electric Frankenstein

The men who would save rock and roll are back with their first true album of new songs in a few years. The brutal and soulless Annie's Grave came out earlier this year, but it featured a lot of material from previous releases, a crime this band has been guilty of on more than a few occasions. Is this better than the disappointing Annie's Grave? Yup. The sound quality is up there with any major label-produced album and the songs are a little more on the heavy '70s punk tip. EF's now trademark roar is intact throughout the album, with "The Mess" and "NY Knights" ripping it up in that old school way. There are also a couple of nods to fellow New Jersey rocker Glenn Danzig, in the form of the dark "Dead By Dawn" and "Death Dealer" tracks. Extra points must be awarded for its sweet-ass sleeve painting by killer Canuck artist Dirty Donny. A fairly solid punk rock'n'roll album that fittingly ends with a cover of Johnny Cash's "Cocaine Blues."