Frontiers (Released 25th January) www.frontiers.it

Just days into the new year and the first album I review is already a strong contender for my Top 10 of 2013- too soon to make such an assumption? Maybe, but with new album “The Savage Playground”, Crashdiet are bound to make an impact this year and we are no doubt going to hear a lot about this album in the next few months.

The fourth album from the Swedish band, and their second to feature vocalist Simon Cruz, “The Savage Playground” effortlessly alternates between your usual Scandinavian sleaze and more mainstream melodic rock. The album opens with “Change The World”- a track played with a sense of urgency that easily rivals anything on Guns N Roses “Illusion” albums, and that same urgency rears it’s head again on “Circus”, this time the band have more of an early Motley Crue feel to them. Whilst tracks like “Cocaine Cowboys” and “Damaged Kid” literally drip in sleaze, the album’s ultimate showstopper on that front is “Snakes In Paradise”- with some great Slash like guitar playing courtesy of Martin Sweet, the track has a darker Velvet Revolver style feel to it.

Fans of the first Skid Row album will undoubtedly be drawn to the likes of “Lickin’ Dog” and “Drinkin’ Without You” but the album also has a good solid melodic rock side to it. Tracks such as “Anarchy”, the hook laden “California”, “Excited” and album closer “Garden Of Babylon”- the latter complete with backing vocals that Def Leppard would be proud of, are all good examples of this and show just how much this band can easily appeal to a much wider fan base by combining these two musical styles.

Going on the strength of “The Savage Playground” I’d imagine that Crashdiet are an exciting live act and would recommend catching them if you get the chance.

*****
Nikk Gunns

Crashdïet are another one of Frontier’s more recent signings and show that as a record company they are moving away from their comfort zone of traditional melodic rock bands. “The Savage Playground” is Crashdïet’s second release for Frontiers, their second with vocalist Simon Cruz and their fourth release overall.

Swedes Crashdïet is one of the growing collective of new glam bands basing their image and sound on the classic 1980’s bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison, W.A.S.P. et al.

Crashdïet have had their share of problems and almost called it a day back in 2006 when original lead vocalist Dave Lepard (David Hellman) committed suicide. Martin Sweet (guitar), Peter Young (bass) and Eric Young (drums) continued on as to keep Dave’s spirit alive first with current Reckless Love vocalist Olli Herrman and now with Simon Cruz.

First track “Sin City” starts with a warning that “you will soon end up in the savage playground”. Tracks veer from hard rock (“Cocaine Cowboys”), glam (“Anarchy”, “Circus”) to almost AOR (“California”) and back but they never stop being enjoyable. Steel Panther seemed to have rubbed off on “Lickin’ Dog” and “Snakes in Paradise” even has strings!! Gang backing vocals predominate with the “woah woahs” used to nice effect. Epic closer “Garden of Babylon” with its Eastern feel seems to lose the plot a little though and just sorts of peters out towards the end.

Crashdïet’s sound is an enjoyable mix of Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., Brighton Rock and Skid Row.

Cool post-apocalyptic album cover by the way.

Glam…sleaze…hair metal…who cares what it’s called…it’s just good music!!

****

Phil Berisford

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)