Crazy Lixx
Loud Minority

At the end of the '80s and the very early '90s, Sweden was the cradle of a death metal movement that distinctly differed from the one born and developed in Florida, enough to earn the definition of "Melodic Death Metal" (or "Gothenburg Sound").

By the end of the millennium and with the advent of the new one, music completely changed (in every sense), and the cold Swedish lands experienced a growing and renewed interest in the hard rock sounds of the '80s and the eccentric look typical of the glam/sleaze trend.

The first to enter the market were Hardcore Superstar, followed and imitated by many other groups, including Crashdiet, Vains of Jenna, Hell n' Diesel, and the present Crazy Lixx.

Formed in 2002 in Malmö, their lineup consisted of: Danny "Dirtchild" Rexon on vocals, Vic Zino on guitars, Luke Rivano on bass, and Joey Cirera on drums (on the official website, the band insists on clarifying that none of them have Swedish descent; indeed...).

With a sound heavily indebted to bands like Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, and Skid Row, the band began to gain notice by participating in numerous concerts and festivals at home (even opening for Gilby Clarke), eventually releasing their first single "Heroes Are Forever" in 2007.

The single received enthusiastic responses from critics and audiences, even reaching the ears of Chris Laney, who decided to produce their debut album, "Loud Minority".

The originality of the music proposed in this work is practically zero, but the band is appreciated for their enthusiasm, energy, and the vocal and instrumental abilities of the individual members: the CD is indeed a concentration of '80s hard rock sounds, made of simple and edgy riffs, melodic solos, and especially immediate and catchy choruses for the listener.

11 tracks, scarcely 45 minutes in length for an enjoyable and relaxing listen: every track on "Loud Minority" could be a potential chart single; besides the already mentioned "Heroes Are Forever", noteworthy tracks include "Want It" and "Do or Die", where the quest for impactful choruses yields the best results: it's almost impossible not to get swept away by the refrains of these two little gems, which seem purpose-built for the live setting. The album presents no particular weak points in any of the tracks, moving from the fast and angry "Death Row", to the concluding, semi-acoustic "The Gamble". In between, the obligatory ballad of the moment, which here goes by the name of "Make Ends Meet"; also notable is "Dr. Hollywood", perhaps the album's most inspired track.

Each track is then supported by the musicians' capabilities, starting with frontman Danny, excellent in both the more intense and aggressive moments as well as the sweeter and more melodic ones; Vic on guitars composes driving riffs and solos; the rhythm section is also very good, with Joey's drumming always precise and Luke on bass delivering a couple of remarkable solos in the opening track "Hell or High Water" and also in "Boneyard", perhaps the album's most aggressive track.

Even when seen live, Crazy Lixx fully confirmed all their excellent abilities (including that of new guitarist Andy Dawson, Vic's replacement) and thus position themselves as one of the best bands in the revamped glam/sleaze movement; a movement that certainly doesn't make originality its strong suit, but has been capable of producing a lot of good music so far.

In short, those who have never liked catchy melodies and choruses certainly won't change their mind with this "Loud Minority", just as those seeking evolution and innovation would be better off looking elsewhere, but lovers of healthy and carefree hard rock will find much to be satisfied with.