Pretty Maids
Red, Hot And Heavy

THE REVIEW

Malice and melody blend in this beautiful "Red Hot And Heavy," the debut album by Pretty Maids, a semi-unknown Danish group that has not been rightfully appreciated by critics and users on DeBaser (there’s no review of the band on this server).

The origin of this group might lead many to think of a Viking or black metal proposition, but in reality, that's not the case: Pretty Maids actually offer a sound that's halfway between classic heavy metal and hard rock. The guitar riffs and drum accompaniment are fast and engaging, and the musicians exhibit good technical skills. The singer Ronnie Atkins has a versatile vocal tone: very powerful and aggressive but also melodic in the choruses of the various songs or in some less aggressive tracks like "Waitin' For The Time", a track almost hair metal and certainly not easy to interpret but very well executed. No track, apart from the one already mentioned, is boring or predictable; my favorites are these: "Back To Back" the opening track, introduced by a short piece from Carmina Burana, which is, in my opinion, the best track on the album; the title track, an aggressive song that follows the style of the previous one, then also "Cold Killer", "Night Danger" and "A Place In The Night". The album concludes with "Little Darling", a cover of Thin Lizzy, presented here in a harder, and I believe better, version than the original.

As far as I'm concerned, the album doesn't deserve five stars due to its short duration (36 minutes), and overall it's not a masterpiece, but I still recommend it to everyone. It deserves it, it contains no failed tracks and is certainly on par with other metal classics considered among the best.