Stephen
Spread Eagle emerged from the eastern part of USA, New York to be exact. The eponymous debut was released by MCA in 1990 and gained decent popularity through one of their small hit, "Switchblade Serenade". Ray West, got a respectable sizzling voice, wailed like a bitchy cross of Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach. Paul DiBartolo, the axeman, has the capability of demonstrating a brilliant shred. I honestly believe both of the skillful gentlemen deserved a better appreciation.
Many cited Spread Eagle's music is very much like Skid Row, especially from the Grind era, and I don't disagree with that, only I think, they got their own sleazy sound with a bit of bluesy moment, like in "Broken City", a great hard rockin' tune with Badlands feel. "Back on The Bitch" and "Switchblade Serenade" had a thick Skid Row breathe, both of them are pretty good, though I think "Serenade" with its funky groove and commercial chorus came out as a better track. "Suzi Suicide", is my most favorite part of the album, introducing a double pedal drumming and agressive guitar assault like a rapid machine gun fire, this is definitely their heaviest song. You also need to check out "Scratch Like A Cat" which also received a small video rotation on the TV, a very good sleaze slap dominated by the distorted guitars screaming like an air raid siren.
However, here comes the blunt side of the blade, "Hot Sex", for example, ripping off Warrant's "Cherry Pie" with an ultra cheesy lines and largely forgettable, and that goes also for "Dead of Winter" and the closing track, "Shotgun Kiss". I still say the title track, "Spread Eagle", is quite good, a danceable piece of hip-shaking groove, but what really surprised me is "Thru These Eyes". They caught me off guard with an awesome heartwarming ballad which later climbed to a powerful rocker. All in all, Spread Eagle's debut is an interesting album to explore, apart from those weak fillers I have mentioned, West overscream vocal technique sometimes irritated me, but if you can overcome that, this is a good pick. I heard that a remastered/reissued version of the album is now available, but rumor said they omitted "Switchblade Serenade" for only-god-knows-why reason, a confusing move, but I guess the original pressing is still easy to find, so go after that for that track alone.