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Perris Records/Demondoll Records
by Craig Hartranft, 10.04.2012
Right under the noses of Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin crooks is Moscow's Addiction For Destruction, delivering Western, even American, style sleaze hard rock on their debut album Neon Light Resurrection. Despite the obvious allusion to GnR's seminal album and the spurious use of a preposition, AfD does share some kinship with late Eighties Sunset Strip sleaze rock.
However, listening to Neon Light Resurrection it sometimes seems a dubious affiliation. AfD seems to have a sound more akin to early 21st century glam rock as from Backyard Babies, then Guns 'N Roses. Largely, this material is average, done better elsewhere by better bands.
It was difficult to suffer through the first several tracks. But the band redeems themselves with Nervous Breakdown and Jane Is Insane, both quite gritty and rocking numbers, the latter with a touch of harmonica. Jaded Heart offers an acoustic guitar ballad with Tom Spice's raspy voice leading a struggling vocal arrangement. Perhaps the dilemma is Spice's vocals, which sound nearly breathless like he needs an oxygen tank to keep going; he strains and you feel sorry for him.
Feelin' Fine is probably the best song in the latter half of the album, a fine fast rocker suitable for driving music. The acoustic side of the band returns at the end with (I Don't Care) You're Nothing, featuring the characteristic misogynistic side of sleaze rock. Indeed, you can't fault Addiction For Destruction for enthusiasm and there are some gems among the gravel here. However, there wasn't enough to be gripping or cause me to put this album in my iPod for another listen. Let's hope for more and better in the future.
With Neon Light Resurrection, Addiction For Destruction offers derivative American style melodic sleaze hard rock, with questionable results.
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