Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

Courtesy of Loud & Proud/Roadrunner

With lines like “You may be young but it feels so right,” we know right off the bat that we’re in shameless-aging-rocker territory. Pioneers of the Sunset Strip scene that produced hair metal bands like Motley Crue, Ratt return with their first album in 11 years. Singer Stephen Pearcy is back on board, and the band sound energized, accelerating out of the starting gates with the full-throttle opener “Eat Me Up Alive.” Less appealing when they slow things down for power ballads like “Best of Me,” Ratt are in firmest control on paeans to decadence such as “Lost Weekend,” underpinned by one of the chunkiest riffs heard in a good while. They also aren’t shy about exploring the dilemma of the aging party animal (monogamy, or continued hedonism?), but all that is really beside the point: this one is not for the critics, but for the fans. Do we detect the makings of a Japan tour?