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Rock Road Records
by Craig Hartranft, 07.27.2012
What would tip you off first, the album cover or the band photo, to the type of music Hollywood Burnouts play? Yeah, their debut disc Excess All Areas is old school Eighties melodic hard rock in the Sunset Strip sleaze tradition. Although when you first spin the album, consider the rather soft or polished production, depending on your perspective, the songs come across as tame.
But a second spin and cranking up the volume reveals a greater energy, a real rock spirit, underneath the production and precise playing. Still, you may expect a little more edge considering the choice of genre. Nevertheless, as good Eighties melodic rock should be, the Burnouts deliver good melodies and hooks, a strong rock groove and decent guitar solos.
Solid rock songs include I Wanna Ride, Kings of Sin, Wild at Heart, and Hands of Rock. On that last song, vocalist Mike sounds a lot like Paul Stanley. More moderate rock arrives on 8 Lives Gone and Fake Baby. Two ballads come with the overly repetitious A Part of My Heart and the musically superior Remember Me. Excess All Areas definitely nails the genre, yet still sound like any band from that Eighties era. What will propel them forward is a continuing commitment to good songwriting and solid musicianship. Recommended.
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TweetHollywood Burnout's Excess All Areas is a solid and entertaining interpretation of Eighties melodic hard rock in the famous sleaze tradition.
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