Search - Jackyl :: Jackyl (Clean)

No ... ballad

L. B. Ivarsson | Rock City | 02/10/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In the inner sleeve you can read: "This album does not contain any ...ballads or keyboard." This is in a way a clear declaration of what to expect on this very strong 3 star album from Jackyl.As "I stand alone" starts off you know that this isn't Hair Metal! The song is built around a very heavy and attractive guitar riff and you can't avoid a little head-banging, or at least a bit of imaginary guitar playing. The voice of singer Jesse Dupree is rough and sounds a little bit like Krokus' Mark Storace or even Brian Johnson from AC/DC."Dirty little mind" and "Down on me" are two mid tempo rockers that would satisfy the average heavy metal fan. After three strong tunes, Jackyl decide to slow things down a bit in the heavy but slow "When will it rain". "Redneck punk" is a drum driven song and if southern hillbillys gave punk rock a shot it's not impossible it would sound something like this. "The lumberjack" is blues metal feautering a solo played on a chainsaw (!). Next to follow are "Reach for me" and "Back off brother", and `tho they're not great tunes they sure are good. "Brain drain" follows the same formula, and to be frank - by this time Jacky's songs seem to sound too much alike each other. My silent prayers get answered right away and "Just like a devil" shows Jackyl in their prime. The closing number "She loves my cook" is the albums low point.Jackyl's follow up album "Push comes to shove" was a real disappointment and I lost interest in the band..."