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Rating: Lynch Mob is the band founded by American guitarist George Lynch when he had enough of Don Dokken, leaving the eponymous formation with which he had made a name for himself among hard rock enthusiasts. George is an '80s hard & heavy guitarist, with a style and sound somewhat derived from pioneers Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen, but with a more than authoritative personality: if not a true master of the genre, he must certainly be considered a clear and skilled point of reference.
To understand this, just listen to the opening of this album, the track that also gives it its title: our hero's guitars erupt magnificently, crafting a grandiose, sonorous, and gritty riff with a gigantic, epic class metal and pre-grunge sound, symbolizing the era dominated by creamy Soldano amplifiers and instruments with active pickups, when the tremolo bar was an obligatory participant in creating melody, and when tapping, that is, the technique involving using the right hand in addition to the left to press frets on the neck, infested any solo with good hopes of passing the approval of the producer of the day.
Besides the guitar, another thing that works excellently in this quartet is the drums: Mick Brown (also from Dokken) plays simply but extremely effectively, doing what needs to be done and has his own style, clean and intelligent, among my favorites in the field. Singer Oni Logan is not bad either, vaguely reminiscent of Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Chickenfoot), with plenty of breath and a decent bluesy attitude that "warms" the Lynch Mob's musical offering. The quartet is finally completed by bassist Anthony Esposito.
Aside from the standout opening piece, notable tracks include the shuffling mid-tempo blues "All I Want," embellished by one of Lynch's typical anarchic solos, fingers going mad on the strings to capture strange tones chasing higher harmonics, or rapidly stringing notes in legato to then nail down the last one and batter it with the tremolo bar; I also like "Hell Child," slower and more dramatic from the prologue with the rattle of a snake (the local animal: the band was based in Arizona!). Lynch delivers a fine Picassian solo, in the sense that he continuously anticipates and delays the entrances and exits from the beat of the rhythm section, occasionally stepping outside the tonal scale, creating a fragmented melodic picture, somewhat in a… cubist manner.
"She's Evil But She's Mine" proceeds like a march of torment, and it's delightful here to hear Brown's bass drum skin, superbly captured by the studio sound engineer, as it stretches and vibrates with each blow of the beater. Mick also works very well on "Dance Of The Dogs," maintaining the song's tension throughout.
"No Bed Of Roses" sets up nicely with a tight riff, accompanied by an inexpressive shaker shaken by the creative drummer, but the chorus is decidedly Bon Jovi-esque, meaning irritatingly banal. Skippable are even the only ballad present, "Through These Eyes," while the finale is of quality with "For A Million Years" thanks to Lynch's best solo, featuring vaguely oriental phrasing full of mews and clusters of linked notes.
A pity about the cover, the usual tackiness with skulls, serpents, and swords… How many metal covers exist with these same three familiar ingredients to evoke horror, violence, and death? Obviously, none of these extreme threats have anything to do with the music and lyrics of the work in question.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Wicked Sensation (04:41)
Music: Lynch
Lyrics: Logan
Well I'm searchin' for this feelin'
That's crawlin' in my veins
I'm on the inside, i wanna get out
Oh I need that cure, there ain't no doubt
Oh, well it feels so good
Up and down and in and out, let's make this understood
Oh, 'cause I'm comin' on for you now
I got that wicked sensation
That's crawlin' all over me
I got that wicked sensation
You know that's all I ever need
When I get down on my knees
Gotta give in, gotta put it out
Well there's no reason
For the way you make me feel
It must be pure desire
But my soul, you know it's burnin' like a flame
My heart just fills with fire
Oh, well it feels so good, up and down and in and out
Let's make this understood
Oh, 'cause I'm comin' on for you now
I got that wicked sensation
That's crawlin' in my veins
I got that wicked sensation
You know that's all i ever need
When I get down on my knees
Gotta give in, gotta put it out, oh shake my soul
Oh, well it feels so good
Up and down and in and out
Let's make this understood
'Cause I'm comin' on for you now
I got that wicked sensation
That's crawlin' all over me
I got that wicked sensation
You know that's all I ever need
When I get down on my knees
I got that wicked sensation
Wicked, wicked, wicked
How you shake this poor boy's soul, oh, how you shake it girl
How you do me in, how you do me in, oh, it's my soul, oh, it's my soul
It burns, it burns it yearns, it's gotta come out, it's gotta come out
Come out, come out, come out, come out, come out
Oh you know that devil's in my soul, well
09 No Bed of Roses (04:21)
Music: Lynch, Norman
Lyrics: Logan
You made your first mistake
The way you let me down
You're always on the make honey
Fire burning in my soul
It cuts me deep inside
Talking like you just don't care
You know that ain't right
'Cause I've had enough of walking out that door
I realize you'll never change
Never said I'd be no bed of roses
You know all through the love an'
Pain you keep me hanging on
You keep me hanging on
All out of reasons of you wasting my
Time and takin' my pride
To me you'll never change
You were the one to blame
You set my soul to flame
Comin' on like potion that shows me love
An' brngs me pain
Tearin' out my heart inside is how you
Get your kicks
But I' just your lover junkie
Girl I need your fix
'Cause I had enough of walking out that door
I realize you'll never change
Never said I'd be no bed of roses
You know all through the love an'
Pain you keep me hanging on
You keep me hanging on
All out of reasons of you wasting my
Time and takin' my pride
To me you'll never change
'Cause I had enough of walking out that door
I realize that you'll never change
Never said I'd be no bed of roses
You know all through the love an'
Pain you keep me hanging on
You keep me hanging on
All out of reasons of you wasting my
Time and takin' my pride
To me you'll never change
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