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I was looking for info on the web on this band and I was shocked to
find
that they "recently" released this album. For those of you who don't
know
the importance of this band (waky - waky), let me tell you that they
were
one of the coolest bands of the NWOBHM period and the first signing of
the
legendary Heavy Metal Records. Their debut 7" single "All Riot Now"
with
"The Mark Of The Beast" on the B side was released back in 1980 and
naturally was the first thing that label ever released. Two consequent
7"
singles were released and then (in '81) the debut LP "Bestiality"
attracted
the attention not only because the music was excellent but also because
of
the instantly recognizable and bizarre album cover (check out the
band's web
site). Note that the "Bestiality" album was re-released in '96 on CD
with
the addition of the songs that appeared in the 7" singles. Nine years
later
they released the album "THE BEAST WITHIN" both on LP and CD. We had to
wait
another 14 years for another album, so, I don't think that anyone can
accuse
them that they saturate the market with products or that they rush their
releases... maybe some people might even say that they are lazy
bastards.
Whatever the reasons for this band's tendency of making Guns 'N' Roses
look
prolific are, we better focus on the actual quality of the new album.
Well, it is absolutely great if you happen to like the NWOBHM and Hard Rock.
In
any case almost half of the songs come from the early '80s and are
remakes
of the old classics. Each and every song sounds great and exactly as if
it
was recorded back in the glorious '80s, meaning that the voice of the
singer
is still fantastic and the playing by the rest of the band as good as
you
would have wished for. Then the new songs are equally good. Production
is
100% what the doctor ordered, meaning totally appropriate for the band
and
fitting their long established sound and their background.
In an era where many (reformed) NWOBHM bands tend to release new products that have some guts but is badly recorded and averagely executed, the "sexy" Handsome Beasts pull all the stops and make sure that none gets disappointed. It's great to know that they did not sell themselves or the fans short with this release. A commendable job done and I can only give my congratulations to the band members, especially the singer Gary who seems to be totally unaffected by time. The voice is the same and the appearance absolutely the same. It's like not even 26 days have past since their debut 7"... let alone 26 years. I am loving it, loving it, loving it. Buy this record and have a look at the fantastic T-shirt the band is selling through their web page, I am sure that you will be seriously tempted to buy it. (I know that I will wear mine with pride). By the way, the band asked me to recommend a London venue for them to play (of course I recommended The Underworld, which is by far the best Rock / Metal / punk venue), so I hope that I will see them play one of these days and bring you a live report too. Until then I suggest that you should buy the album.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Sickies (Intro) |
| 2. After Blood |
| 3. Sweeties |
| 4. Local Heroes |
| 5. Riot |
| 6. Ghost In My Mind |
| 7. Don't Panic |
| 8. Did You Sleep Well |
| 9. Don't Talk To Strangers |
| 10. The Only One Who Cares For You Is Gone (The Dealer) |
| 11. Rockin' Is Ma Business |
: N/A
| Buy other Handsome Beasts, The albums |
