Crashdiet - GENERATION WILD Album Review

A 21st Century Glam Metal Slam!

CRASHDIET - GENERATION WILD (Gain/Sony Europe, 2010)

11 Tracks, Run time: 40:23

Grade: B+

Leather and chains, hairspray, loud guitars, tons of makeup, tattoos and attitude - Los Angeles, 1989? Nope, try Scandinavia in the 21st century. "Everything old is new again," as the saying goes, and while most American rock fans may not have gotten the memo yet, the much-missed '80s Sunset Strip sound is not only alive and well, it's experiencing a resurgence in the European underground thanks to a new horde of two-fisted, snot-nosed bands like Hardcore Superstar, H.E.A.T. and Crazy Lixx, all of whom are proudly carrying the hair/sleaze metal flag into the new millennium. The four-piece crew of Swedish sleaze merchants known as Crashdiet were once widely considered to be the leaders of this new wave, but unfortunately it's been a mostly-bumpy ride for the band since the release of their 2005 debut REST IN SLEAZE. In 2006 the Crashdiet camp was rocked by the tragic suicide of 25 year old lead vocalist Dave Lepard. Though the band quickly regrouped with new vocalist H. Olliver Twisted (who appeared on 2007's sophomore release, THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION), the singer never truly "gelled" with his new band mates and Twisted was gone within a year. With newcomer Simon Cruz behind the mic, Crashdiet released album #3, GENERATION WILD, in 2010, and finally, all was right in Crashdiet Land.

The Album...

For the uninitiated, Crashdiet's sound is a potent cocktail of early Motley Crue (i.e. TOO FAST FOR LOVE and SHOUT AT THE DEVIL) meshed with the heaviness of SLAVE TO THE GRIND-era Skid Row, and though I may be the only one, I swear I can also detect a bit of Dokken at times, particularly in the impressive vocal harmonies heard during choruses. The first proper track, "My Armageddon," quickly proved that Simon Cruz was the perfect choice to front this the band; he oozes confidence and carries himself with plenty of attitude and swagger, effortlessly changing with the album's moods from a smooth croon to a shriek to an angry snarl. Of course, Crashdiet is not a one-man show, and the other three band members are no slouches either - guitarist Martin Sweet can rip with the best of'em, and his six-string nastiness is capably backed by the drum abuse of Eric Young and the crunchy bass work of Pete London. In a nutshell, GENERATION WILD is one helluva fun ride, chock full of loud, obnoxious, party-hearty anthems with hooks big enough to land a whale. I can hear echoes of "Round and Round" by Ratt and Skid Row's "Youth Gone Wild" in the title track, while "So Alive" opens with a rumbling, heavy bass groove and a piercing scream that wouldn't sound out of place on a Judas Priest album. Slower tracks like "Save Her" and the closing "Beautiful Pain" have enough grit and grease in them to keep them from falling into the dreaded "Power Ballad" territory, and when the band really puts the pedal to the metal, as on the absolutely killer "Rebel," the sizzling "Down With the Dust" and the punk-laced "Native Nature," it's hard to resist the urge to air-guitar along. You'll find yourself humming these songs to yourself in no time.

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