Album Review: The Erotics - "Rot In The Shade"

 

It’s fair to say that the Erotics have had something of a career renaissance of late and on the evidence of Rot In The Shade, it's still rolling on quite nicely. A good mix of some tracks from the various EP's the band has put out over the last couple of years and some new numbers, this is every bit as much of a scuzzy scummy riff-fest as you'd expect right from the moment Knockin' On Death's Door kicks in sounding like something that wouldn't have been out of place on the first W.A.S.P. album. The swaggering finger-clicking Helltown Boogie keeps the momentum rolling on nicely before the scuzzy low-slung You Got Me Shakin' which even has some incongruous harmonica on it!

The attempt at a ballad on Diamonds doesn't quite work unfortunately and the Spanish sung Dia De Los Muertos is an odd but enjyoable curio before the Panama style riffage of Too Hot To Stop gets things back on track (definitely a hint of Cocked And Loaded era L.A. Guns about this one as well). Which just leaves the frenetic Scream Like A Demon, the feral When The Wolves Are Howlin', the swaggering Bless Your Heart and the seasonal Hungover On Christmas to round this bad boy off.

Although Rot In The Shade isn't anything you won't expect from the Erotics, they do at least sound like they're enjoying themselves on this one and that enthusiasm carries over to make this a good scummy rock 'n' roll record. Let's face it, the world would be a much duller place without bands like this keeping the flame of scuzz rock alive.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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