Sleeze Beez
Powertool

Ahhhhh, the Netherlands! The land of tulips, but also of coffee shops with a surprise (cakes with that delightful mary-jane flavor!), women displayed behind glass, and klumpen! You might ask what the hecaaa...ck are klumpen? You know those wooden shoes with a tip that, if they hit you where it hurts, make you turn into Amanda Lear instantly? Okay, I get it, you want me to just talk about the review.

But listen dear readers: I had to describe where these charming Dutch rockers come from. Moreover, try mixing the toughest AC/DC with Def Leppard's "Pyromania," et voilà! You'll have the Sleeze Beez! Here, in my opinion, in their magnum opus, namely "Powertool" from 1992.

The fact is that after about ten years of career (from their first "Looks Like Hell" in '87 to "Insanity Beach" in 1994 until their definitive disbandment in 1996), even the Sleeze Beez will wave the white flag, but be careful though: it seems that even they are coming back with an unexpected reunion that, for now, has materialized only with a few live shows! Despite this, even while delivering something good, the forked-tongued gossipers will always say: "Bah, they haven't exactly created masterpieces!" Oh yes, but try breaking through from the Netherlands, it's like talking about Italy (almost, let's not exaggerate since here there's only Sanremo!). Like ants in their small way get frustrated, the Sleeze Beez also wanted to contribute (at least trying...) with dedication and passion to the not always accepted cause of the hard rock scene.

Among the five band members, certainly the most charismatic was singer Andrew Elt; the others were definitely excellent musicians (especially Jan Koster the drummer and Chris Van Jaarsveld on guitar), but it was Elt who tried to lead the group, with his rough and edgy voice like sandpaper!

And the songs? Well, they were true blasts! Leaving aside the intro "Appetizer" which sounds like it's sung by a deaf leopard, the real opener "Raise A Little Hell" perfectly combines hard rock and melody, and there are other notable tracks like "Watch That Video" with a pretty cool vibe or "Head To Toe", where they poke fun at the radio. 

But the Dutch are also known to be romantic, albeit unsuccessfully like in "I Don't Want To Live Without You" (the worst on the album from which a video was also made!), while raising the stakes, the other ballad "Bring Out The Rebel", is definitely grand and less predictable.

There's also room for slide guitars and blues (featuring a certain Tommy Kiefer of Cinderella) in the intriguing "Dance", then it's back to wilder and more classic AC/DC-like tracks with "Like A Dog" and "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is". Maybe the ending tends to weaken a bit (except for "Fuel For The Fire" where the "gasoline" is still wisely wasted!) but that's true for 90% of albums out there (I am of course talking about recent releases!).

Here ends the Dutch invasion with streams of rock, sweat, and the never-ending smell of armpits! And to think that perhaps these Dutch attackers deserved more. We all know that life is unfair, but a great album remains great by its own merit, and Powertool is the proof of that. If you get the chance to listen to it, turn on the gas stove, and then... oh, has the house already exploded? Oops......