Time Signature
Looks that kill...
Genre: heavy metal
Mötley Crüe were the queens of glam and kings of sleaze in the 80s, to be sure, and the object of passionate hate from many who considered themselves to be true metalheads. Such was the state of affairs back then, but "Shout at the Devil" - the band's sophomore album - is a lesson in buttkicking heavy metal riffage. Although the band already sported their androgynous make-up and poodle hair glam metal image, strangely combined with satanic imagery, the music on this album is prime class 80s metal with very little sleaze and glam metal pop to it.
Tracks like the title track, "Looks that Kill", "Bastard", "Too Young to Fall in Love", and "Red Hot", "Knock 'em Dead, Kid" all contain killer guitar classic metal riffage, and, while not all track come across successfully (I'm not too big a fan of Crüe's version of "Helter Skelter" [I appear to constitute a minority in this respect... oh, well]) and some of them become a bit too monotonous, most of them certainly are headbanging-worthy. Even the ballady "Danger" is awesome (although it would have benefited from different vocals).
Most of the tracks on this album have quite a punch to them, and Mike Mars' guitar solos are blazing. The overall sound is perhaps a bit outdated and dirty, but that adds a certain authenticity to the production of this album. The most glammy/sleazy aspect of this album, musically, would be Vince Neil's vocals, which are annoying as always, but not to the same extent as on other releases by the Crüe.
This is a fine 80s metal release, and it is recommended to fans of the metal of that era - even glam-o-phobic fans might like the rifforama that is this album.