Hell In The Club - Shadow Of The Monster

Italy's Hell In The Club is back with a new platter of 80s/90s era hard rockin' so recognize.You may remember my review last year of Italy's (that's right, Italy, dude) Hell In The Club's sophomore release, Devil On My Shoulder, wherein I praised the band's totally authentic turn of the 90s hard rock club sound. These cats have the goods, to be sure, and they're at it again with their latest album Shadow Of The Monster.

To be fair, it's basically more of the same, but as I said in my review of their previous album, these cats are the real deal amongst the new wave of bands paying homage to that particular OG sound. The music has an authenticity that belies a genuine love and appreciation for the source material that you don't get with a cash-grab, wannabe situation. The title track has every trademark of the genre: harmonized anthemic choruses, blazing solos, club-shaking rhythms, and bawdy lyrics, of course. And the same goes for pretty much the rest of the album. Lead singer Davide "Dave" Moras has that nasal tenor that fits the music perfectly, while guitarist Andrea "Picco" Piccardi keeps the energy going with crunchy, swaggering riffage and impressive solos. It's all there for you waiting for a party to break out on cuts like the title track with its metallic stomp-ending verse beat. If you didn't get their last album, but need some feel good hard rock, this is the stuff.

The Bottom Line: Fans of Guns N' Roses, LA Guns and other hard rock bands of the Sunset Strip circa late 80s/early 90s, this is totally up your alley. Check them out.

- Genghis needs to get his old Levi's jacket cleaned...