The vocals ruin this. I'm sure defenders (not of the faith) will claim they're full of energy and spontaneity, but they just come off as amateurish and spastic. Rougher, meaner vocals would have fit better, but I would have been more satisfied with anything else that was halfway competent. Mind you, they were also bad on the earlier two albums, but at least there they were somewhat obscured by effects.
It's a shame because musically this is a great example of real metal retaining some residual '70s rock influences, without forays into stoner stuff, overly light rock'n'rolly stuff, or bad Motörhead worship. This seems a lot more cohesive and less jammy than their previous albums, and I like this CD better than any of their previous original material (lifted "Rocka Rolla" solo section tribute notwithstanding). Speaking of original material, the album opens with a Rods cover with slightly altered lyrics, which is a totally killer idea, but again, those pesky vocals feel overly punky and out of place.
Most of the album is extremely NWOBHM influenced, peppered with solos and licks that betray hard rock influences. A couple tracks, including The Rods remake, made me think of The Dictators or even The Stooges and what they might have sounded like going full-on metal. That one "Ripped in Half" riff also reminds me quite a bit of Anvil's "Mothra."
But man, do those vocals stink.
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