Posted: June 19th, 2009
Contributed By: Joe

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: May 26th, 2009 via Eleven Seven
	Charm City Devils is: John Allen (Vocals) Vic Karrera (Guitar) Anthony Arambula (Bass) Nick Kay (Guitar) Jason Heiser (Drums)

Overview: Baltimore-based rock outfit, the Charm City Devils release their simple, but aptly titled debut ‘Let’s Rock-N-Roll’ on (Major) Indie label Eleven Seven. Founded by former SR-71 drummer John Allen who has assumed the duties of frontman for CCD, the band is the first signee to Eleven Seven by label President Nikki Sixx, (who also moonlights as the bassist for a little-known quartet by the name of Motley Crue.) Allen’s desire to conquer a much larger rock-n-roll beast led him into unknown territory of recreational singing and songwriting, resulting in a much more intensified musical bloodthirst. Enlisting the musical services of Baltimore natives and zealots Vic Karrera (Guitar), Anthony Arambula (Bass), Nick Kay (Guitar), Jason Heiser (Drums), and the label-pull of Sixx, Allen was off-and-running toward a more meaningful and deepened musical conquest.

The Good: The album begins instantly with a throwback, familiar scream, “Sooo leeeett’s roooooockkkkk and rolllll!!!” abruptly questioning whether or not you’re experiencing an acid flashback from 1979 while listening to Bon Scott’s vocal barrage that was Highway to Hell. Once the guitars kick in, it’s more than enough to get your temporal lobe gyrating with nostalgic bliss. This is no AC/DC knockoff – is it actually them? Possessed by some sort of maniacal Rock Demon? The similarity is downright spooky throughout the entirety of the opening track, a vociferation to the jaunty classic rock of yore. The ghost-of Bon-Scott-spookiness continues into “House Fire”, and doesn’t let up one bit, only inducing a muscle spasm into your lower leg driving down the accelerator even further. Lyrics like, “set this house afire! I’m gonna grind it in the ground!” excite the fact that this is gonna be a party record. Allen’s jagged wail is ever-evident on “10,000 Miles”, a lively, riffy tune that illustrates the touring rock-n-roll lifestyle and the whirlwind of confusing chaos that lurks like an unavoidable, devil-on-the-shoulder guide. “True Love (Hell Yeah)” is a bombastic, bluesy ode to the universal loin-satisfying feeling of finding a meaningful lover while “Money” has heavy overtones of old-school punk that you might have heard opening for The Ramones years ago. Though the album does have its share of vibe-lacerating low points (see the bad), it does possess a remarkable resiliency to rub some dirt on it and move forward with chunky guitar-riff swagger as heard on “Night As Dark.” The party kicks into inebriated high-gear on “Pour Me”, which gloats the mind-numbing effects of ingesting “Kentucky Bourbon, New Orleans Hurricanes, and Moonshine” repeatedly until the desired effect of “won’t have to think if you pour me another drink” is achieved. It’s a bit repetitive, but at this stage of the night, a crowd-pleasing chant/sing-along feels as stimulating as the hot blonde who is drunk enough to take you home. And just when you thought this debauched regale was losing steam, closing track “Burn Baby Burn” forcefully rips the 2nd wind right out of you. The raw production, garage-y sound, and growly vocals launch this rocket of a track, which is the most captivating song on the album.

The Bad: A more accurate name for this band would’ve been Identity Crisis. The biggest issue here is individuality, which begs the question – if originality is purposely unhidden, does it then become more like homage? That remains to be known. There is loads of potential however, mainly because of the closing track, which consequently led to the birth of this band. Somewhere between that song and the creation of the rest of the album, the musicality stayed the course while creativity slowed to a relative putter. Perhaps there is an overload of Sixx influence, whose aptitude for recognizing musical ability far outweighs his personal musical talent. Allen unzips the Scott facade and does his best Axl Rose impression on “Best of The Worst”, a slimy, yearning love song about the rotten irony of being a bad boy, but the most acceptable one of the lot. “One Day” sounds a bit whiny and too much like a Jet cover band. “Almost Home” starts off with extraordinary promise as the orchestral string accompaniment adds a cosmically fresh element to the album, but collapses on its lyrical heaviness and hair-metal musicality that sounds like Bret Scallions fronting Poison. The biggest problem with ‘Let’s Rock-N-Roll’ is that the musical style is far-too kindred to the Rock Gods that came before it and did it much better than this, giving it a sort of stale, rehashed vibe. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but duplication is coercion by a false idol.

Bottomline: ‘Let’s Rock-N-Roll’ is a convivial Sex, Drugs, and Rock-N-Roll record – only sweatier and smellier. There is an abundance of potential for this band if they choose to hurl themselves into the musical fire within the solid vein of “Burn Baby Burn.” If you can blind yourself to the in-your-face musical influences that are oh-so copious on this album, you’ll be treated to a manic and berserk carnival ride of sweet of rock-n-roll indulgence. Allen proves his worth with his impressive vocal contribution, which pleasantly surprised me. So much so, that I wouldn’t mind seeing him give his 2-weeks notice to SR-71 in order to nurture and evolve this playful beast he’s spawned. I for one am intrigued by what musical journey CCD travels to in the future, but in the meantime, the beaten path sounds unusually good.

TuneLab Rating: 8 out of 10