RattleheaD – Tales from the Gutter (2010)

Back in the day when Speed/Thrash Metal was (originally) a thriving genre, we used to have some pretty good bands (that later became really big: Megadeth, Metallica, etc.). If RattleheaD would have been formed in those days, for sure they would have been epic and big, but they probably would have sucked since they wouldn’t have had anybody to steal their sound from.

Don’t get us wrong, we love old-school music and when a younger band does a great job in emulating past glories of other bands, we are all for it. But this is not the case with RattleheaD, their latest release “Tales from the Gutter” clearly shows why they are not signed and it might be a time to consider a genre change or some drastic changes in their music in order to get really noticed.

“Tales from the Gutter” features 10 songs that are as vanilla as anything can get. They are all uninspired and feel like a Chinese imitation of bigger and better bands. Sure there are some nice moments and solos here and there (i.e. “The Losing Hand”, “Walk with the Dead”), but there is nothing that really makes them standout.

The band does an ok job at incorporating countless musical influences, but they just plan suck at proposing something interesting and engaging. The drumming made us want to fall asleep since it feels as linear as a marching band playing the same song over and over. The vocals are very dull and will get on your nerves after a few songs. The only ‘decent’ thing of this release is the occasional guitar solos and some nicely crated Thrashy riffs.

If you need something to get people out of your place during a party, we greatly recommend this CD since it will either make them leave or put them to sleep. There are some hints of good elements in this release but nothing that makes it essential or worth your time and money.

Release: July 9th, 2010

Country: USA