Monday, November 19, 2012

YOUNGBLOOD: "No Retreat"

Rating: RRRRR
Label: Eonian Records 2012
Review by Endre 'Bandi' Hübner

The relative success of Steel Panther and Wig Wam proved that there is still an audience for melodic hair metal provided it's done in a tongue-in*cheek way; both the audience and the musicians can share "a wink and a smile" nodding in unison with "those were the good times" on their mind, generally taking it the easy way, having a good time at the show then moving on. Yet none of those "serious" hair metal reunion tours (from Cinderella to Steelheart, Slaughter and to Poison and the likes) lived up t the expectations, go figure out why!

With all that in mind it's difficult to predict the future of this release. Eonian Records dug up a brilliant hair metal album that went unreleased in 1989. Youngblood has everything that Steelheart and Slaughter had in their glory days and probably even some more. The vocals, the hooks and the musicianship are up to the standards of the above-mentioned bands and the production is superb, much better than any of those "let's dig some old demos of 80s has-beens" releases we've got over the last decade or so.

Just play the opening "Pump It Up" and it will take you on a time travel and the rest of the tracks won't disappoint either. The 16 tracks and the total running time of close to one hour provide a value for your money deal. If you long for a breath of fresh hAIR spray and were disappointed of the pathetic renewal attempts of all those late 80s hair bands, Youngblood is your choice. Check the soundbytes here and you'll agree.

No comments:

Post a Comment