Album Review: The Compulsions - "Ferocious"

 

Hailing from LA (where else?), the Compulsions are the brainchild of sleaze-rock veteran Robert Carlyle but if you're expecting a straight-up group of Guns 'n' Roses soundalikes here then you might just have another think coming. With an impressive pedigree backing band (including former Bowie guitarist Earl Slick on a few numbers), Ferocious is certainly an interesting proposition.

Opener Born On A Landfill is a Cinderella style slice of grubby blues-rock but just when you've got the Compulsions pegged, they promptly smack you upside the head with the sinister electro-sleaze of Band Of Thieves (which reminds me of short-lived early noughties types the Beautiful Creatures) before Addicted takes things back into more familiar territory with some seasick slide guitar from former Gunners man Bumblefoot.

Covers of the Stones' Dead Flowers and G'n'R's Dust And Bones are handled well, the former given a liberal dose of rocket fuel and the latter given an almost trip-hop style makeover which works better than it really should. Elsewhere the content varies from the scuzzy Dead Boys assault of Dirtbag Blues through the enjoyably sloppy honky-tonk of Killer In The Woodshed to the twisting Funk 666 which is the sort of song Buckcherry wish they could still write while the closing countrified lament of Man Without A Name adds a bit of vulnerability to the more macho stylings elsewhere.

Overall although it's nothing you won't have heard before, Ferocious at least has the necessary bad-ass swagger and unexpected variety to make it a more than worthwhile listen. Sleaze-rockers looking for something good to get their teeth into could do a lot worse than give this a spin.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)