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 The overall sound is perhaps a bit outdated and dirty, but that adds a certain authenticity to the production of this album.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.

Pekka Following their debut Too Fast for Love Mötley Crüe were picked up by Elektra Records, which resulted in a proper budget to record their sophomore effort. Released as Shout at the Devil, the album definitely benefited from that, as it has a much punchier and fuller sound than its predecessor, the rawness of which I also appreciate, though.

After the short intro the album starts with a bang, as the title track and Looks that Kill were clearly their most powerful shout-alongs yet. To go with their new darker image the music has a somewhat more metallic edge, which is especially apparent in the next track, Bastard. Throw in the brief guitar instrumental God Bless the Children of the Beast and a totally banging rendition of Helter Skelter, few would've had the guts to cover that, and I find the entire first half of the album pure gold.

Red Hot's drum intro was good enough to be stolen to Guns n' Roses' Double Talkin' Jive eight years later, but after that the second half is considerably weaker than the first. The band performs with energy and feel, but the best riffs are already spent on the first half. But luckily the album ends on a high note with Danger, not their first and definitely not their last song about LA and Hollywood, but one of the best with a great ominous atmosphere.

Along with the fuller sound and the brilliant material of the first side, one big merit of this album is the improved voice of Vince Neil. The cat squeal comes through at times, but otherwise it's gained a lot of power since the debut. One five star side and one three star side, overall probably their best album.

UMUR Shout at the Devil is the 2nd full-length studio album by American heavy/ glam rock act Mötley Crüe. The album turned out to be a great commercial and artistical success for the band selling 200.000 copies in the first two weeks of its release and about 3.000.000 copies in all. The album was released by Elektra in September 1983.

Shout at the Devil sees Mötley Crüe going in a much more raw and heavy direction compared the music on the debut album Too Fast for Love (1981). As bassist Nikki Sixx says in the liner notes, the band felt it was time to put the pedal down. And that they certainly do! Shout at the Devil is probably the most "metal" album Mötley Crüe released in the eighties. Not that Shout at the Devil is not essentially a glam album ( just take one look at the front cover, and any doubt will be blown away), but there are lots of traditional and harder edged heavy metal elements on the album too ( take a listen to songs like Looks that Kill and Red Hot for proof). The band are famous for their dirty glam attitude and bay boy image and that attitude transfers perfectly to the music. They even manage to make the cover of Helter Skelter by The Beatles sound like their own sleazy creation. What a great cover version that is.

The production is raw and powerful and fortunately there are only very few synths on the album ( most notably in Danger). The use of synths is something that would mare their next release.

I´ve had a really good time listening to Shout at the Devil this last week, and you can say that it´s one of those albums that really surprised me in a positive way. I´ve been going back and forth between a 4 star or a 3.5 star rating all week, but I´ve landed on 3.5 stars. The album does become a bit too predictable/ formulaic in the end for my taste, but boy do Mötley Crüe rock hard.

Stephen "Shout At The Devil" was the sophomore release of Motley Crue after the inspiring punk/glam debut of "Too Fast For Love" boosted their name to the sky, and introduced a heavier and darker side of the band. This highly anticipated record thrust their name to stardom when it was released in 1983 with the mystical anthemic of "Shout At The Devil" and the fierceful groove of "Looks That Kill". At that time, Nikki Sixx was deeply drawn to the black magic and occultism books hence giving him the idea of pentagram and the album title, but after weird things began to happened around their house, he was spooked off and dropped the idea of revolving around devilish thing and moved away to his expertise - sex, drugs, and violence.

While their later release, "Dr.Feelgood", was their most successful sobriety creation racking up six platinums and also my big favorite, "Shout" in my opinion, should be considered their magnum opus. Crue showed their true identity with the raw rampaging riffs and the baddest attitude, constructing a perfect combination of shock rock, glam, and heavy metal. Listen to the fast-paced adrenaline-pumper "Red Hot" and "Bastard", the catchy cream of "Too Young To Fall In Love", or the magnificent rendition of Beatles' "Helter Skelter", you'll know how Motley Crue shaped the decade. A great entertainment!