If the name rings a bell Nasty Idols formed at the arse-end of the 80's and split up in the mid 90's after 4 full length slices of makeup smeared cock rock. It's not a surprise really that after the likes of Twisted Sister, Motley Crüe, Whitesnake, and WASP etc. getting back on the road and into the studio that these guys would also follow in their wake. If you can remember these guys you'll probably know what to expect...and if you don't remember them, or they're a bit before your time, I think you'll still know what to expect.
Where these guys differ from their afore mentioned peers, is in their ability to not take themselves seriously. Everything about this band is a little tongue-in-cheek, and you get the impression that every beat or chord played on this record is done so with a cheeky wink. They know what they're doing – its not whole original, but it's quite fun.
The album opens with the cliché stuffed 'Rock Out' – a simple chugging riff, fist in the air lyrics, and a big guitar solo set the blueprint for the majority of the songs to come. The title track 'Boys Town' is a Crüe-a-like head-banger that is a call to shot bar if ever I heard one. 'Method To My Madness' musically sounds like one of Wednesday 13's thrown away riffs but features the line “ This record's got to sell!”, which shouldn't fail to make you smirk.. well at least a little. 'Nite Like This' is one of those “Hey girls, we may be bad boys... but you could change us”, soft, Poison style tracks that every band with hair bigger than their drum kit have to include on an album. '48 Hours' is the same song structure as set out on the first track but has the advantages of the most comical lyrics on the whole disc which pretty much proves everything I wrote in the second paragraph of this review. 'Evil One' on the other hand make a dash headlong into heavier almost punkier territory, and sounds the most complete of any of the songs here though the production does kind of smother it a little it would undoubtedly be a great live track. The final track 'It Ain't Easy' thankfully isn't a Guns 'n' Roses cover, but it is a rather long ballad at 6 minutes in length.
Technically speaking this is not very original stuff, nor is it always free from cliché. The simplest way to put this is that if you like a bit of Glam Metal and fondly remember how ridiculous it is, then you'll like Nasty Idols. On the other hand, if you take everything you listen to very seriously or have an underdeveloped sense of irony you'd best steer clear, because this is a fun album full of potential party mix-tape contributions. No pretensions, no reinventions, just fun.
http://www.nastyidols.com
http://www.myspace.com/thenastyidols
