Time Signature Not quite wasted lust...

Genre: glam metal / hard rock

Wildside Riot's main man, a certain Rocky Shades, is heralded in the band's promo material as The Godfather of Glam. To be perfectly honest, I have never heard about him before. But, then again, glam metal is not quite a genre that I am well versed in. Anyway, whether or not Rocky Shades is a glam legend is irrelevant.

What matters is that quality of the music, and, I think there is some pretty good stuff on the album. Amidst the melodic hard rock tracks on the album, we find some pretty heavy guitar riffage (as in the opener 'All Hail the Wasted') and guitar solos that range from straightforward and bluesy to technically quite advanced. While not so much on the metal side as some of the other tracks on "No Second Take", the funky 'Angel on my Back' is particularly enjoyable, as is the AOR-tinged 'Wasted Lust' and the motorcycle-riffed 'There Is a Bullet for Each of You'. There are, of course, also a couple of ballads on the album that do not really appeal to me personally, but other listeners might find quite enjoyable.

Rocky Shades' voice is considerably clean compared to the typical late 80s sleazy (and annoying) Motley Crüe- and Ratt-based type of singing. At times, Shades even comes across quite bluesy. The general musicianship is definitely characterized by professionalism, and I the production is pretty nice with a fat bottom and a clear top.

Although I am not myself really a fan of glam metal, I do think that this album is quite enjoyable. And, if you are into party- and riff-driven glam metal / hard rock, then there is a good chance that you will enjoy Wildside Riot's debut album.