Scandinavian Leather
Scandinavian Leatheris rock & roll hedonism in its highest (i.e. lowest) form, combining the theatrics ofAlice Cooper, the campiness ofQueen, the degenerate glam ofMotley Crue, and the urgent punk-rock spirit of theRamones. Less punk than 1996’sAss Cobraand more rock than 1998’s excellentApocalypse Dudes,Scandinavian Leatheris everything a proper rock album should be: there’s pomp (strings pop up on "Wipe It ‘Til It Bleeds" and again on "Fuck the World"), shout-along anthems (check out the driving, fists-in-the-air chorus of "Remain Untamed"), and even the occasional, self-indulgent guitar solo. Songs like "Sell Your Body (To the Night)" and "Train of Flesh" are dark and seedy, but the danger is cartoonish. Fortunately, this bunch doesn't make music to be taken seriously; they make music that rocks.--Robert Burrow