CD REVIEW: CROSS EYED LOVER – Blonde Zombie

Shane | 26 April 2023 | Reply

CD REVIEW: CROSS EYED LOVER – Blonde Zombie
Independent
2022
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
83%

There’ll never be a shortage of bands who grew up on a tasty appetite of Guns n’ Roses, L.A. Guns, KISS and a thousand other hard rockers, and regurgitate these exemplary influences into their own style of hard rock – and thank goodness for that.

Perth locals Cross Eyed Lover wear their influences on their collective sleeves, whilst making their debut album very much their own.

The title track is catchy as hell and sets the tone perfectly: take another shot of Jack, loosen up your neck muscles, we’re going in hot. Break The Machine boasts echoes of Judas Priest in the chorus and the guitar assault; Watcha Gonna Do About It is a kick-the-doors-in stormtrooping rocker full of F.U. attitude, somewhat reminiscent of frontman Andy Smith’s former band Babyjane.

Cross Eyed Lover was conceived by drummer Jason Rigoli (whose sister Charlotte lends her voice to backing vocals throughout) and guitarist Sal Truscello, who together wrote the foundations of some twenty tracks before enlisting Smith and bassist Simon Whyte to finish writing and record this stompin’ banger of an album.

If your idea of a ballad is a song only three quarters as punchy and pacey as the others, then let’s call Ain’t It A Shame a ballad, or at least as close as you’re gonna get here – but don’t ignore it, it’ll still get a few solid jabs in and leave you on the floor. Two’s Good is similarly paced, a crunchy ZZ Top-ey boogie riff topped off by a feisty wah-wah drenched solo and more great harmonies and backing vocals.

Herein lies the edge of Cross Eyed Lover – anyone can write (or rip off) a good riff; anyone can throw some rock n’ roll lyrics together; but the devil’s in the details, the layers of harmonies and backing vocals, the interplay of melodies between the vocals and instruments. The clever flourishes. There’s plenty of them to enjoy and elevate here.

I’m hearing plenty of L.A.Guns/Dokken/et al sex action on Back In The Game, with another smoking hot solo; Jump Start Baby takes elements of Van Halen-esque big haired rock and welds it onto something heavier, like Frankensteining a corvette and a Mack truck together.

Gotta Get Out and Gutter Crawl keep up the pace, the guitars never relenting for a second and Smith squeezing every iota out of his vocals; Slave combines a heavy groove and a sleazy edge to great effect; and Never Die’s spelling lesson-inclusive frenzy is equal parts Teutonic metal and Noo Yawk gutter punk, ending the album on a gut punchingly frenetic high note.

Blonde Zombie is an album for serious rockers – there’s nothing namby pamby or mainstream radio friendly here, just a witch’s cauldron of hard rock influences brewed up with passion and genuine talent and inventiveness. Bang the gong, folks, you’ll want to get it on with Cross Eyed Lover.

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