Y&T has not released anything since the mid 1990s and many thought it would be a cold day in hell before we got another studio album from them. It must be pretty chilly down under, because a brand new disc from Y&T has surfaced at last. The band was quite prolific in the late 70s and more notably the early 80s, cranking out hard rock classics as "Meanstreak" and "Black Tiger". "Contagious" gave us a more melodic oriented album that played up the current hair metal trends from its era, but was a snazzy slice of rock as well. Those particular retro inspirations have been mined to give us
"Facemelter", an adjective for the band that was coined back in the 70s as many fans claimed that the band "melted their face", when they performed live.
Where pure hard rock is concerned, few nail it more purely than Y&T as re-witnessed here. Meniketti has lost none of his spunk and fire over the years, bursting out the axe in a shocking display of electricity and booming riffs. The band swagger and thrillseek through crankers like
"On With the Show" and the bristling cocky
"I Want Your Money". "Shine On" has the carbonated bubbly sugared rush, melodic punch of something from
"Contagious" which makes a nice breather. Crunch and grind define
"Hot Shot" showing that the love for
AC/DC still runs deep, while
"Blind Patriot" seeks a substantial groove with the subtlety of a guided missle. There is perhaps a little too much going on here for it to really catch fire and take hold.
"If You Want Me" plies the softer ballad trade with an open paper heart sweetness.
The double starting gate billing of
"On With the Show" and
"How Long" start the album with a firecracker bang and are classic rock fevered.
"How Long" has a more midtempo flavor and an instant chorus.
"Wild Child" gives us fluttering acoustic guitars and a thick melodic focus.
"Gonna Go Blind" gives a flash of blues and a taste of another side of the band and Meniketti's guitar playing style.
There are a few songs that miss rather than hit, such as
"Wild Child" that is running on empty where hooks and cool riffs are concerned, and
"I'm Coming Home" which does the disappointing bait and switch. It teases the listener into believing the song is going to roll out into some kind of enormous epic anthem and instead fizzles out into this run-of-the-mill dud.
"Facemelter" is a sassy album that has unexpectedly flashy guitar work and a heavier, more pure rock approach than was anticipated, if you were waiting for a followup to their subpar 90s output. Fans of the band will just be pleased to have something new to hear, but it is also a pretty worthy hard rock disc in its own right. No prior experience with the Y&T legacy is required to enjoy this lean, hard rockin' machine and that is a huge point in its favor.
Written by
Alanna Monday, July 26, 2010
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