Onwards and upwards
Although the British foursome recently embarked upon on a hiatus, the rock 'n' rollers are out to illustrate that they are back and ready to pick up where they left off. Fronted by Roxx Hydi (and what wannabe Motley Crue act is complete without a generic rock name spelt with two x's?), the Londoners have set out to capture the spirit of 1980/90s hard rock through the release of their debut mini-album "Unleashed & Dangerous". You also may be pleased to know that the mini-album is better than the font used on the front cover.
'Fakeness' and 'One Night' kick off the mini-album in hair-swishing style, with wailing guitars and arena-sized drumming characterising the British quartet's sound from the off. Opening with suitably reverb-sodden drums, 'Questions' strolls into action and although it marks a reduction in tempo for the mini-album, the track does begin to escalate slightly. Still, it never quite boils with excitement, perhaps lacking the spirit of a song like Velvet Revolver's "Slither".
'I Want More' chugs along with every typical aspect of hard rock that you would expect to encounter, making the calmer ballad-like approach of 'I'm Falling' quite a welcome change of pacing. As the penultimate composition commences, the intervallic leap that sets the guitar lead into motion brings to mind Slash's soul-melting solo on the Guns n' Roses version of The Skyliners song 'Since I Don't Have You'. Although one may expect the Marmite vocal styling of Axl Rose to subsequently kick in, it is perhaps a relief that Hydi's softer tone presents itself. 'Drugs and Angels' draws the mini-album to a close, complete with dexterous guitar lines, splashy hi-hat work and a Justin Hawkins-esque "GUITAR!" cry.
All in all, "Unleashed & Dangerous" is an enjoyable outing that, although may not gift a huge degree of originality and innovation, does encourage you to let your hair down and pick up the old air guitar/drumsticks/microphone. If you're a fan of '80s hard rock and you are presented with the opportunity to give this six track mini-album a listen, don't let the opportunity pass you by. It would be a sin to waste it.