Naughty Boys - Destiny Calls

I try really hard with European Melodic Rock, I really do. I know that for the most part the music is of exceptionally good quality, but I always find the sound and lyrics a bit...... SOFT..... for my taste. Naughty Boys, upon the release of DESTINY CALLS (following up the critically acclaimed R U Naughty Enough? of 2007) were generally directed to me as Melodic Rock, so I wasn't hugely keen. Well, I want to make this absolutely clear: THIS BAND ARE NOT A SLOPPY MELODIC ROCK BAND!!!!!

The title track opened with a tight, gritty sound, no gaps here as the keyboards add to an already heavy guitar sound and create a musical barrage. I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS!!!! Lead single Endless Pain is heavy, but with a Hard Rock edge. I'm starting to think this may be more than the average portion of Swedish meatballs....

Hell yeah! Eternity rolls in as “The Power Ballad” - but rather than the somewhat weak, almost laughable efforts by many bands these days that a necessary evil, this displays a delicacy of songwriting, with dirty howling blues guitar riffs that stink of the 80's in the perfect way. OK, I'm sold!

Through and through this is a good, solid album. All the tracks have hard riffing like you'd expect from stalwarts such as LA Guns or Vain, with a throaty, sexy vocal quality “just like it used to be”. Oh yeah.... Not one song seems to be filler fodder, they are all original, it's a classic bluesy, heavy-edged, at times sleazy sound... but it's not dated, it's fresh and new. Loving this loud, in the car, windows down, not looking like an ageing Rock chick seeking the elixir of youth, but maybe 21 again...

And the anthem? Final track, Fly With The Angels. That opening riff is almost clumsy, you cock your head and wonder why it's on an album of this calibre... It pushes on, accompanied by Hammond organ and a sad but sexy bluesy vocal... I'm still questioning.... The chorus crashes in, perfect melody - already I can't get it out of my head! My God, all the individual parts of this song are in the right place, the wailing wall of keyboards and guitars, the vocal crescendo to a scream of pain, the perfectly sleazy guitar solos.... His heart may be broken so how will he fix it tonight? Drink? (See that bottle of JD smash into the wall). Drugs? (See an angry man snort a line then hit the town). Women? (See the trashy images of naked girls in a dirty bed). The video for this would be full of every iconic image from our Rock 'n' Roll past, only harder and filthier for the 21st century. Yeah baby, the future's here... and it's naughty as fuck. OUTSTANDING.