Land of the Damned

Diamond Rexx's Land of the Damned is an energetic blast of ragged, Judas Priest-esque metal that also contains elements of L.A. glam and N.Y.C.-style trash rock. Though lead vocalist Nasti Habits seems to favor a melodic growling in the early David Johansen/Handsome Dick Manitoba vein over actual singing, he's the perfect focal point for his band's drunken steamroller sound. At times sounding like an even more aggressive New York Dolls or Mott the Hoople without the sense of humor, the band doesn't vary much from its "play the riff, shout the slogan, repeat" formula, but the energy level and fun content are high enough to sustain interest. As indicated by song titles like "Kick in Your Face" and "Cuz I Wancha," the lyrics are what one would expect, but even more so (and in come cases pretty awe-inspiring in their single-mindedness and lack of subtlety). S. St. Lust (no, not even Spinal Tap can match these pseudonyms) is a pretty facile lead player, though his fleet-fingered solos sometimes sound like they're desperately attempting (and failing) to light a fire under the plodding rhythm section. It's hard for even the casual metal fan not to do a little headbanging, though, as this is '80s heavy metal at its simplest and butt-headed best. Modern bands could do well to take a lesson from Diamond Rexx's reckless sense of abandon and unquenchable desire to rock (insert devil horns here).