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Eyes N Lips: Pornstar For President
Eyes N Lips Pornstar For President CD Album Review

Eyes N Lips: Pornstar For President

Melodic Hard Rock
3.0/5.0

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Street Symphonies Records
Words by Craig Hartranft,  23.05.2014

Once there was Guns N Roses. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and Italy gives us Eyes N Lips. From the album title, Pornstar For President, I'm sure you can guess the genre du jour. Yes sir. It's melodic hard rock of the Eighties glam/sleaze variety. Now, don't go throwing out your GnR albums. (Well, you can toss out Chinese Democracy if you want. I'll understand.) Eyes N Lips and their new album is no substitute for Appetite For Destruction era GnR.

Eyes N Lips - Pornstar For President Band Photo

Eyes N Lips: look at this cool piece of paper.

Actually, they're not a substitute for most any band of that late Eighties music scene. The Lipsters are average at best. If this were 1989, they would be just another band playing the Sunset Strip and Southern California in third rate clubs hoping for more fans, more pussy, more booze, and the elusive record contract. However, they aren't without some talent, and they do understand their chosen genre.

As to the latter, besides getting the whole sex, drugs, and rock n roll thing, the band get that their sound should have a raw edge and bit of punk, spit-in-your-face, attitude. They also steal some cues from punk by adding gang vocals on several songs. Eyes N Lips come off as raunchy and dirty, but not without the necessary rock groove, melody and spitfire guitar solos. Alternatively, much of this is over shadowed by the bristling sharp nature of the guitar riffs and solos. Whether intentional or a part of recording process, the Eyes N Lips sound is more ear-piercing than anything. For all guitarist Gypsy's attempts to mimic him in some sense, even Slash varied his signature sound and style.

The other players get the job done in the same sense a government bureaucrat gets his done. Vocalist Mr. Skorpion, yeah you read that right, has a general hard rock voice, sometimes shouting, sometimes piercing, often sneering. The rhythm section stays steady, but doesn't always sound that ambitious. As to the songs, the ones that stand out are the ones you want to skip like Soldier of Love where the gang vocals are annoying, Come Away, Come Away With Me, or the excessively long ballad With You, which is only redeemed by the guitar solo.

Despite the band's talent and enthusiasm, all this adds up to is merely adequate Eighties melodic sleaze hard rock, but not without some promise for better in the future. At least, I hope so. However, it's definitely a step up from the gutter to the sidewalk when compared with label mates Party Animals' Light A Fan Cool.


Eyes N Lips - Pornstar For President





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In Short

Despite the band's talent and enthusiasm, Pornstar For President is merely adequate, at best, Eighties melodic sleaze hard rock, but not without some promise for better.

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