Artist:  Ratt
   Title: Infestation
   Label: Loud & Proud / Road Runner  

Hands up at the back who remembers the last Ratt release?  No it wasn’t in the Eighties, it was actually 1999 and it just didn’t do them any favours. 

So here we are 11 years down the road and with Carlos Cavazo on 2nd guitar duties this is classic Ratt, a band showing the world they are far from a spent force.  For those people who purchased the Winger album last year, remind yourselves of the experience when you first played it.   This is Ratt rockin’ from start to finish and taking no prisoners. 

Opening up with 'Eat Me Up Alive', Ratt send out the call to turn it up and party!! Big drums and the guitars are just crunching!  They follow that up with the single 'Best Of Me' and you’re transported back to 'Invasion Of Your Privacy' days, with a great melodic hook and catchy chorus.  Next on the list is 'A Little Too Much' and that classic Ratt sound just keeps rolling.  The band sound fired up and hungry to prove they can still produce great music.  'Look Out Below' reminds me of a heavier 'Way Cool Jr', it has a sleazy groove to it. 

Another fave for me is 'Last Call', it has some great blues overtones to it and I love the way Pearcy delivers the verses, it just pulls you in. Then we get to 'Lost Weekend' and they get their fingers dirty again with some heavy riffage. This is a song they could have written back in the day and it would be considered a classic.

'As Good As It Gets' slows the tempo down a bit but those riffs just keep flying off the fretboard.  It has a real sleazy vibe and some blues tinges, just imagine your woman working the pole to this one!  Then we’re onto 'Garden Of Eden' and this is possibly the only track on the album that could be considered weak.  'Take A Big Bite' ups the tempo as DeMartini and Cavazo lay down the riffs.  'Take Me Home' is the “ballad” of the album, a good song but finishing off the album is 'Don’t Let Go', a fast paced number that has some Crue overtones about it until the chorus. 

This is classic Ratt with a contemporary production courtesy of Michael “Elvis” Baskette who has managed to make Booby Blotzer’s drum sound even bigger , while Carlos Cavazo and Warren DeMartini’s guitars are heavy, crunching and screaming.  In fact, DeMartini plays outta his skin on here, he is an exceptional guitarist who is too often overlooked due to Ratt coming from the 80’s LA scene.   Robbie Crane’s bass sound has a beautiful tone to it and drives the songs along and, of course, Stephen Pearcy still has that trademark rasp but he’s singing better than ever. 

This album showcases a band of seasoned musicians playing like they’re a bunch of 25 year olds trying to get a record deal.  This album will definitely be in my top 5 at the end of the year and you would be doing yourselves a favour by going and grabbing a copy.

Review by: Brassy

 Tracklisting:

1. Eat Me Up Alive
2. Best Of Me
3. A Little Too Much
4. Look Out Below
5. Last Call
6. Lost Weekend
7. As Good As It Gets
8. Garden Of Eden
9. Take A Big Bite
10. Take Me Home
11. Don't Let Go

                  

 

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