| Beautiful Creatures Deuce | Spitfire Records SPT 15260-2 |
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The wait for this album to be released got longer when guitarist Alex Grossi had to be replaced and his parts re-recorded by new guy Mark Simpson. The Japanese got the original release, but the rest of the world, gets this slightly altered version. Joe Leste and Anthony Focx – the backbone of both Beautiful Creatures and Bang Tango have put a lot of energy into this release and the result should please fans of the band. Deuce is even more aggressive, more contemporary and heavier than their debut album. And it is more focused and consistent than last year's Bang Tango release. Heavier and more enshrined in modern rock than Bang Tango, Beautiful Creatures run through 12 tracks (and one short instrumental passage) which seriously rock. You can't fault the energy, the big in your face production, or the band's conviction. One thing to note for some though – the album isn't overly melodic. The vocals are gruff and the guitars are more riff than solo driven. Highlights are definitely Superfly, Freedom and the rather short Anyone. I wouldn't describe this as a modern rock album by any means, but as far as American heavy rock goes, it has that very contemporary guitar sound and production which tunes down the guitars to achieve a more hard hitting sound. Another highlight is the moody Empty, which slows the tempo a little, but not the intensity. The opening onslaught of the first five tracks is hard to fault, but I think the album falls away towards the end, suffering from a slight lack of variation. With Deuce, Beautiful Creatures are now more comparable to Stone Temple Pilots or Black Label Society.
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09/12/05: WardyS3 - micktward@ozemail.com.au
01/11/05: Gaz - gazandan@bigpond.com
01/11/05: Victor - ratt15@optonline.net
Rating: 80
Not the follow up I was hoping for, but still a solid release. Maybe prefer the debut due to its couple of true standouts (first two tracks!) cause while there's good tracks here the better ones don't better the debut's.
My main bother with this is the lack of hooks come chorus time. There's a few big ones but for the most part the verses punch very well but the chorus' don't live up to the expectations layed down by the verses and intros. More melody come chorus time and less repetition would have done this a bag of justice!
Still a mean as hell voice, I just love the ballsy tracks and while not quite a ballad (thankfully) EMPTY oozes class and could gather radio play given the right promotion (which it won't receive of course!). SUPERFLY is indeed super and FREEDOM rocks. There's many others that do so if you enjoyed the debut or the last Bango Tango you'd do well to buy this.
Good simple rockin tunes, big riffs and beats the pants offa the recent Bango Tango effort. Did I mention cool vocals? One of his better efforts I think!
Rating: 95
LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT. This everything I was hoping for and so much more. I have both the Japanese and US versions and it is hard rock at its finest. This is not some soft cock or AOR album it's full on sleaze rock at it's down and dirtiest. It's a shame the new Brides Of Destruction album couldn't be half as good as this.
Rating: 100
If you are a BC fan or a fan of Hard Rock music, then this is a must have. I just can't put it down!!!
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