Distorted Wonderland (self-titled)

A solid hard rock band with a bit of an identity crisis. Think Marylin Manson playing Mötley Crüe.Don't judge a book by it's cover, my mom always says.  Well that is exactly what I shouldn't have done, when I put in the new disc from Distorted Wonderland.  Not knowing what these guys were about, I was convinced by their press photo, that they were some sort of goth/industrial band.  I wasn't sure what to think, but thought I should give them a listen based on the killer artwork on their debut CD on Jamsync Music.  Well, what I got was nothing like I expected, because instead of hearing a band that sounded like Manson or Rob Zombie, I got a band that sounds like Mötley Crüe.  How cool is that?  This band mixes the best aspects of old school 80s style hard rock with the new modern sounds of today.  Don't get me wrong, they're nothing like Bullet for My Valentine, they're are a tried and true Glam hard rock band with some modern elements.

The CD starts with the lead single Raised on Rock N Roll, which is an up-tempo rocker with an infectious chorus that will get in your head and not let go.  Top notch hard rock!  The rest of the CD follows suit track after track giving you some of the best rock I've heard in a while.  If I were to compare these guys to a classic band, it would probably have to be Ratt.  These guys write their riffs in a similar way to the rodents, which parlays into the cool tracks Slave of My Desire and Guillotine Babies.  There is a nice mix on the CD and the majority of the tracks are strong.  There is a little hint of a goth vibe, but for the most part, this is just pure hard rock.  My only critique of this CD, has to be the production.  The sound is a little thin, but other than that, this one is a keeper.

Bottom Line:  Solid hard rock, with a slight modern edge.  Well written songs, with big hooks and killer riffs.  Too bad the production wasn't better.

Standout Tracks: Raised on Rock No Roll, Losing It, Slave of My Desire and Never Had Nothing and Behind the Scenes.

-Ragman has learned his lesson and will no longer judge, well at least for today....