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Picks up and tears open the package, looks at CDs contained within, Deliverance re-issue, Ultimatum, what's this? Main Line Riders. Looks just, I dunno. Dark cover art that made me think emo-core or something. Read the song listings and my heart lifted a little; they all sounded like they were lifted from a hundred glam albums from 1987. I put it down and found the accompanying press release. Yadda, yadda... words... Sunset Strip, 80's, words, more words, sleaze. I felt my smile growing because I do love 80's sleaze metal. I read on. I then could not wait to pop this puppy in, so I did.
The train whistle that starts off with "Ride The Mainline" is an ironic portent of what's to come. 10 tracks of non-stop raw, rawk & roll. While at first I wasn't sure Mikey Mayhem's vocals were a fit for this style, they grew on me with repeated listens, the sometimes sneering punk delivery works with the slithery guitar work of Cliffy and Blackway. PJ and Josho's timekeeping rhythms are superb. While this style of music will never bring home any orginality trophies, this band plays it honest and at full volume.
"Here I Am" is an awesome tribute to the lost art of the power ballad and happens to be among my favorie cuts offered here. The last official track, "We Are The Ready Ones," with its bombastic bigger than life chorus -- Man, when did you last hear a big blown up chorus like that?! The hidden bonus track is the deal sealer, a balls out dead on cover of "Shot In The Dark" by one of the most tragically overlooked sleaze metal bands of the late 80's, Junkyard.
So if you like it greasy, dirty, gritty, snakey and loud. This is for you. If you don't like it any of those ways, get this anyway and learn to.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Ride The Main Line |
| 2. One Way Ticket To Love |
| 3. Throwin' Bones To The Wolves |
| 4. Here I Am |
| 5. Speed Queen |
| 6. Pack Up Your Blues |
| 7. I Walk Alone |
| 8. Put The Hammer Down |
| 9. We Are The Ready Ones |
| 10. Shot in the Dark (Junkyard cover) |
: 34:08
| Buy other Main Line Riders albums |
