On disc: Crazy Lixx

 
 New Religion
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Riot Avenue
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Riot Avenue

(Frontiers Records - 2012)



 
 

 

Swedish rockers Crazy Lixx are back with Riot Avenue - and they take you back in time with their sleazy hard rock. The opener is called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and is obviously influenced by Mötley Crüe. The words stand in aviation for letters... for W T F and there is no airport with this 3-letter code, but I think you get the meaning when you listen to the song! At their 3rd album the Swedish sound dirtier and that's helping a lot. At Young Blood they seem to combine Def Leppard-ish elements with sleaze rock á la L.A. Guns. But the first song which really hooks me up is the title track! Again the backing are Leppard-ish, but the song itself reminds me of NYC's Spread Eagle... A heavy rocker with a catchy refrain. The opening passage of Downtown I really like, to me they are best when they leave the big, 80's-like backings behind. I prefer their sleazy sound. One of the highlights is Church Of Rock and again they make me think of the New Yorkers... A bit glam metal-like is Sweet, Bad & Beautiful, too sweet for me. But at the end of the day it's a matter of taste. The closer Only The Dead Know is kicking off with acoustic guitar and vocals and becomes a power ballad with a melancholy edge. One more time the guitar play of Andy Dawson and Edd Liam ennobles a song. Unfortunately they don't stick to the semi-acoustic sound which would have give the song a different feel...



The Swedish deliver a decent album which you can call backdated, but actually they are just picking up sounds from the 80's. Personally I hope that next time the sleaze sound which I think they are stronger at, but that's just me. If you like 80's hard rock and sleaze, then check out Riot Avenue!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
up 













New Religion

(Frontiers Records - 2010)



 
 

 

Sleaze metal is back! Now Sweden is where the bands come from, it's the new wave of Swedish sleaze - and Crazy Lixx were among the forerunners of this movement. They play groovy hard rock spiced up with some sleaze.



Crazy Lixx was founded in 2002 in Malmö and in late 2007 their debut Loud Minority was released, now they are back with New Religion. The band of singer Danny Rexon play a lot live and actually that what this music is made for. And producer Chris Laney did a great job -  again.



The opener Rock And A Hard Place shows that the Swedish foursome can keep up with the bands which inspired them. Okay, My Medicine sounds familiar, it's on the tip of my tongue... Anyway, the song is pure fun. Just enjoy songs like 21 'Til I Die and The Witching Hour. The later is a heavy rocker which reminds me of Spread Eagle, anybody remembering the New Yorkers? The balladesque rocker Blame It On Love shows Dany Rexon's expressive vocals and 80's backing vocals. With acoustic guitar they start Children Of The Cross, but then the song becomes a catchy rocker. With What Of Our Love you get a power ballad, so what more can you ask for? The short interlude Desert Bloom is taking you down South and leads you into Voodoo Woman, the closer. Voodoo Woman is a riff-based tune, another good-time-rocker!



Okay, Crazy Lixx might remind you of this or that band, but hell, just enjoy the music! They aren't copycates! Sure, there are similarities, but they create something new out of the ingredients.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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