ROSE TATTOO - Blood Brothers
October 28, 2008, 16 years ago
(SPV)
This has been out since ‘07 elsewhere, but now it’s getting a good distro shot through SPV as a “Special Tour Edition” which includes a Live At Wacken DVD and a TV interview. But the album itself is the main event, many going so far as to call Blood Brothers the band’s best album yet. Indeed what you get is Rose Tatto’s spirited signature boogie rock, which sounds like AC/DC and The Angels roughed up for a pool cue-swinging bar fight. Interesting comparatives to Black Ice here, Rose Tattoo doing pretty much the same thing and writing a complex, substantial record of note-dense riff rockers that plays to this pointed and shared stylistic strength. There’s more variety here versus that other band, and more punk energy and more slide, not to mention lyrical depth from a man legendary in Australia for a hard life and a hugely heroic redemption. ‘Sweet Meat’, smack in the middle of the album is admirable and hypnotic like ‘The Song Remains The Same’ yet ultimately puts one to sleep, sounding longer than it is. But then the band is back and rocking, with ‘Man About Town’ and ‘Standover Man’ doing the dirty AC/DC deed but good. Could have used a bit thicker production, i.e. more bass, but that’s a minor quibble within a record that plays effortlessly on repeat, welcome each time through. Killer booklet too.
