The first Crüe record for 10 years to feature the original lineup of Sixx, Mars, Lee and Neil has a kind of rancorous glamour to it that entirely encapsulates a bunch of grimy rockers delighting in their often-controversial past. From the outset the semi-autobiographical LP grabs the nettle, the band putting themselves back into their younger shoes (Face Down In The Dirt, What’s It Gonna Take).
Whether revisiting the struggles to get somewhere in their chosen career or revelling in its gnarlier side (MF Of The Year, The Animal In Me), the Crüe are on tremendous, fat-riffed form throughout. It all could have veered into rock opera territory, the group going through the motions in a kind of self-referencing pastiche, but it’s obvious that there’s plenty left in the tank without succumbing to the easy option. The vitality and sloganeering of the title track pretty much sums up an LP and, by extension, a career with much still to offer. It all comes to an end, appropriately, with the roaring Goin’ Out Swingin’, a track that is an explanation of all that has come before – and perhaps that which will follow. In common with the rest of the album, it rocks.
