Band : The Bad Luck Charms

Album title : The Bad Luck Charms

Label : I Scream Records

Distributor : SPV - CNR

Release date : April 2008

Release : CD

Besides playing guitar in US Bombs, guitarist Kerry Martinez is also active in quite a few side-projects...one of which is this New York based Sleaze Punk 'n' Roll quartet in which he also does the lead vocals. The line-up is completed with second guitarist Brian Knott (who's had short stints with The Nuns, Molotov Cocktail and The Stiff Mickys), bassist Max A. Million (a new addition to the line-up), and drummer Brenden Van Mier (formerly with the late Nick Hawkins)...each also bringing backing vocals.

I ain't quite sure when exactly the band released it's Rich Girl 7-inch EP on TKO Records, because one source speaks of November 19, 2002, while the other thinks the EP's from 2005...but no matter what, this is the band's debut full-length. Uhm...and even thàt statement can be taken quite cynically, because the 11 tracks only total to a good 25 minutes. Talking music, the band shows clear influences from such classic '70s Sleaze Punk Rock acts like New York Dolls, Dead Boys, Rolling Stones, Hanoi Rocks. You could even look back further in time to the '60s, and find quite a point of comparison with Johnny Thunders And The Heartaches, from which The Bad Luck Charms cover the "evergreen" (meant as a joke...) "One Track Mind". Everything is kept quite melodic, with nicely rhythmic twin guitars of which one frequently goes into a short solo mode. The lead vocal can best be categorised as a nicely sung howl with the occasional whine to boot. Backing vocals are either harmonic, or follow in Martinez' lead mode. The label describes TBLC as follows: "Slimy, Sleazy, Dirty Rock 'n' Roll at it's finest! Spawned from the attics of Kiss dolls, comics, Chuck Berry records,andMonster magazines, these electric cartoons straight outta Brooklyn New Yawk are fueled by the syringe sound of The Heartbreakers, tongue in cheek of Hanoi Rocks and The Stones and all the snot of the Dead Boys!!!"

When you surf to myspace.com/badluckcharmsusa, you'll find only the album opening song "Break My Heart" (it's preceeded by a wacky "spoken word" intro titled "Twilight In The Asylum"...a title which is a clear indicator for the words' content), which is possibly one of the léast melodic songs on the album, but is already an excellent showcase of what you can expect: the aforementioned guitar kynetics, a mostly slap-happy bass, and a tight-ass drum basis, overlaid with the catchy vocal antics from the whole band. I got this album at the same time as that of Enemy Rose and Death And Taxes (reviews posted at same time), and I have to say this one stands out heads 'n' shoulders above the others! I mean, I would almost...but not quite...have gone as far as to add The Bad Luck Charms to my year-lists!

93/100

Tony.