On Top

Strange that this band of retro-trad goofballs ended up on a death metal label, but must be the circles they run in down in Pennsylvania. The song titles on their debut full-length say it all, really: "Into the Night" (not a Frehley's Comet cover, sadly), "Hot N Wet" (not an homage to Nitro) and "Success and Excess" (nothing to do with Raven whatsoever). The songs themselves are ludicrously fun, "Another Night of Sleaze" stealing the show with its groove-laden trad trip down stupid metal memory lane. This is like when you'd go to A&A Records as a kid (anyone?) and grab five-dollar cassettes from the discount bins just because they had a metal-looking logo and at least one song about someone's "little sister." Then you'd get it home and the production would be stiff, the songs lacking and the vocals uninspired. But, you know, it was metal, the spirit was there and it was tons of fun. It worked as great background music then (Atari 2600) and works as great background music now (life). Doesn't mean it's good, but it does mean it's great.