Billy Idol is back after a 10 year break since his last studio album.
Billy Idol has brought back guitar virtuoso
Steve Stevens along with producer Keith Forsey, who produced
Billy Idol's most successful albums "Rebel Yell" and "Whiplash Smile".
With the old team back you expect a classic Idol album in the same vein as the aforementioned albums. However, Idol has up-dated his sound and a song like
Rat Race is in the same alley as Linkin Park - NOT to be compared with his classic material.
The pros of this album are that
Billy Idol is back on the scene with an entertaining album. The single
Scream is definitely a strong song with a great drive from Stevens and typical Idol vocals. Overall there seems to be a good vibe in the songs and
Steve Stevens once again proves to among the best guitarists in the world.
The cons are that the album lacks really strong hit singles -except for
Scream. There simply aren't enough really catchy tunes, which is to be expected from
Billy Idol. The sequencing is weak as well. The silly Christmas song
Yelling at the Christmas tree seems totally misplaced since it's comes in the middle of the record and kind of ruins the flow. The first song
Super Overdrive totally lacks Idol's characteristic vocals and sounds like
Billy Idol trying to adapt to the sound of today's bands - a very doubtful attempt.
Despite the criticism it's still an enjoyable record with some humorous lyrics, but overall the material is a minor disappointment. "Devils Playground" is a worthy comeback album but nothing more.
Best songs
Rat Race and
Scream.
Written by
Michael Thursday, July 7, 2005
Show all reviews by MichaelRatingsMichael: 5.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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