From the vaults: Lizzy Borden – Deal With the Devil (2000)
As is often the case with bands who put a considerable degree of evidence of look and show, the music that Lizzy Borden made over the years is often overlooked. Even amidst a gazzillion rockers on Sunset Strip’s ‘80s heyday, they had tunes that stood out to elevate above the pack (if not quite into the A league). And they had schicht to boot. Satanic in the same way that WASP were ‘satanic’ (i.e. not really) this was an ‘80s rock band which injected the big choruses and reverb-happy sound with elements of melody and pop dynamics learned from vintage Kiss and Cheap Trick. ‘Deal With the Devil’ – the ‘reunion’ record from 2000 – evinces all of those evidence and leaving aside the (vastly improved) quality of the production, not much had changed since 1985. LB pretty much sat out the ‘90s (like most of their peers) and, for the most part at least, wisely decided to avoid following trends and stick to what they did/do best. The result is a record which was hopelessly out of place at the turn of the millenium – where theatrics, leather, and plank spanking solos were out and hip hop, baggy pants and frat boy metal were in – but which nonetheless kicks up something of a storm for fans of metal the way it used to sound.
Most comfortingly, Lizzy still had a killer voice. And he could still pen the sort of melodies that stick in your ears like shit to a blanket – every song here has one, and that should be enough to silence anyone who thought that this band was more style than substance. Opener ‘There Will Be Blood Tonight’ is just classic piercing metal; whilst ‘Hell Is For Heroes’ and ‘Lovin’ You Is Murder’ sound like the heavier end of The Scorpions. Cheesy, or classic? You decide. Not everything here was killer, however. ‘We Only Come Out At Night’ panders to what the band clearly thought was contemporary (i.e. the industrial sounds of 5 years previously, think Motley Crue’s ‘Generation Swine’ and you’re in the same ballpark) and the covers range from pointless (Alice Cooper’s ‘Generation Landslide’) to woeful (Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘This Ain’t The Summer Of Love’). But when you have title track as glorious as this one, and which practically demands that you smile, all of the foibles just fade away.
In 2000 – or, indeed, in 2013 – this sort of metal is about as desirable as a fart in a spacesuit. But who cares? The solos are big, the choruses are big, and the melodies are bigger still. Fun times, cheap thrills, and big smiles.
As is often the case with bands who put a considerable degree of evidence of look and show, the music that Lizzy Borden made over the years is often overlooked. Even amidst a gazzillion rockers on Sunset Strip’s ‘80s heyday, they had tunes that stood out to elevate above the pack (if not quite into the A league). And they had schicht to boot. Satanic in the same way that WASP were ‘satanic’ (i.e. not really) this was an ‘80s rock band which injected the big choruses and reverb-happy sound with elements of melody and pop dynamics learned from vintage Kiss and Cheap Trick. ‘Deal With the Devil’ – the ‘reunion’ record from 2000 – evinces all of those evidence and leaving aside the (vastly improved) quality of the production, not much had changed since 1985. LB pretty much sat out the ‘90s (like most of their peers) and, for the most part at least, wisely decided to avoid following trends and stick to what they did/do best. The result is a record which was hopelessly out of place at the turn of the millenium – where theatrics, leather, and plank spanking solos were out and hip hop, baggy pants and frat boy metal were in – but which nonetheless kicks up something of a storm for fans of metal the way it used to sound.
Most comfortingly, Lizzy still had a killer voice. And he could still pen the sort of melodies that stick in your ears like shit to a blanket – every song here has one, and that should be enough to silence anyone who thought that this band was more style than substance. Opener ‘There Will Be Blood Tonight’ is just classic piercing metal; whilst ‘Hell Is For Heroes’ and ‘Lovin’ You Is Murder’ sound like the heavier end of The Scorpions. Cheesy, or classic? You decide. Not everything here was killer, however. ‘We Only Come Out At Night’ panders to what the band clearly thought was contemporary (i.e. the industrial sounds of 5 years previously, think Motley Crue’s ‘Generation Swine’ and you’re in the same ballpark) and the covers range from pointless (Alice Cooper’s ‘Generation Landslide’) to woeful (Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘This Ain’t The Summer Of Love’). But when you have title track as glorious as this one, and which practically demands that you smile, all of the foibles just fade away.
In 2000 – or, indeed, in 2013 – this sort of metal is about as desirable as a fart in a spacesuit. But who cares? The solos are big, the choruses are big, and the melodies are bigger still. Fun times, cheap thrills, and big smiles.
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