RATT — Infestation (review)

RATT — Infestation album cover Album · 2010 · Glam Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
After their lackluster 1999 eponymous release, RATT disappeared into obscurity but caught everyone off guard by reemerging in 2010 with their comeback album INFESTATION. This was their first album after the death of guitarist Robin Crosby in 2002, leaving original members Stephen Pearcy (vocals), Warren DeMartini (guitars) and Bobby Blotzer (drums.) New to the band is Robbie Crane on bass replacing original bassist Juan Croucier and ex-Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo. Despite all the new members on board, this is a true throwback to the early RATT years with upbeat tempos, catchy sleazy glam metal songwriting and the much missed duo lead guitar trade offs. In fact the band set out to purposely construct an album that would fit in between their first two full albums “Out Of The Cellar” and “Invasion Of Your Privacy.” Apparently they had a lot pent up support awaiting the year of the RATT to cycle around the bend once again because upon release it debuted at number 30 on the Billboard charts 20 years after any relevancy.

INFESTATION is exactly what it claims to be. It is a bunch of catchy glam metal rockers that sound exactly like they fit into the heyday of the RATT’n Rollers. The songs are similarly constructed, similarly executed and at the end of it all is RATT by the numbers. While this album got a lot of rave reviews upon its release i have to admit that it just sounds a little too forced for the most part. Yeah, it is successful in its attempts to be authentically retro and the production is superior to anything they’ve recorded in the past, but it just seems like this kind of glam metal in 2010 seems off to me. Yeah, i know you can’t take this kind of glam metal too seriously so i don’t need to make an intellectual journey out of it. It is exactly what it is. However, even being exactly what it is i feel the consistency of the whole thing is a tad off. There are lots of standout tracks starting with the excellent “Eat Me Up Alive” followed by a whole parade of tracks that sound like reworkings of their classic riffs. Personally i like “As Good As It Gets,” “Best Of Me” and “Eat Me Up Alive” the best. This is definitely a worthy return to form delivering the goods of yestercentury but personally i would have liked to hear some musical development of some kind, but this is still one of the band’s better albums so a return to form is much preferred to the 1999 nonsense.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed