Crazy Lixx
Riot Avenue

Less than five years ago I saw Crazy Lixx perform in Stockholm at the Swedish Metal Expo and on that show the band proudly pronounced that they had signed a record deal. Later that fall they released their debut album under the name 'Loud Minority' right in the middle of a dying wave of sleaze and hair metal. Barely catching that train the band has now grown and are now releasing their third full length album, the second on the worlds biggest label for dated hard rock that still is popular (Frontiers Records) and with 'Riot Avenue' the band is now expected to get that real breakthrough.

In 2007 the band got mixed reviews from us at Hallowed with one review giving the band a clear pass and another that said it was a steady fail. I have to admit I haven't even noticed the band after that, so personally I received this third album with somewhat of a surprise but after playing the album thoroughly I think it's obvious that the band has developed a whole lot during these years, yet I still can't help thinking that they don't feel the least groundbreaking to me.
'Riot Avenue' have some really good, catchy and speedy songs on this album that are good both the first and tenth time you hear them. The problemI feel is that all songs are made after the same formula and this makes the album seem quite long and repetitive despite the album "only" being 46 1/2 minute. The eleven songs are not similar to such an extent that they feel like the same song but they tend to repeat the same things and beside this I don't really like the sound either. There are some great song on this album, like Fire it Up, In The Night and Church Of Rock that makes the album more exciting to hear but it never lights up so much that it burns on its own. Instead I feel Crazy Lixx once again does the same thing - they do good music that easily puts them on a pass but not much more.

The music is can be described as "classic" sleaze or glam rock: shouty production, shouty vocals, thrashy and rock 'n' roll all the way through. The voice of Danny is shouty and unclean in the tone, almost like he found it in a dumpster, which doesn't mean that his voice is complete shit at all. He can stretch the tones good and sing the choruses in a way that makes girls panties fall right through their short skirts on their own, but I wouldn't call his voice pretty. The guitars play mostly rhythm and simple rock 'n' roll riffs. There are no real initiatives from the guitar section with daring guitar solos roaring wild or something like that, only some semi-enthusiastic ones here and there. Actually, no instrument seems to be willing to take the initiative. And because no one leads it tends to feel uninspired and tired, like if the band had an ambition to do something properly and then just got tired and finished it as fast as they could instead of doing what they had intended. I just can't help feeling that something is missing.

What's really missing are a bass player and a drummer since both Loke Rivano and Joey Cirera has left the band in the fall and winter. Another thing that's missing is that real sound quality that can boost the album. The sound is cheap and the production as well, cheaper than what really is good for the band. It lacks that striking feeling. And besides this, it also lacks enough variation and individuality to keep really interesting throughout the album. Many of the songs are good, but it still doesn't blow me away. What they do right, though, is the melodies, the energy and their ambition. Crazy Lixx knows what they want, it's just too bad they can't reach that fully.

So when all is counted for, where do we sum up this album? Well, it ends up as a clear pass, but that's all. A good album, not great. But they have improved!