Band : Michael Monroe
Album title : Sensory Overdrive
Label : Spinefarm Records UK – V2
Distributor : V2 Benelux
Release Date : 14/03/2011
Release : CD

Besides several solo albums and cooperation on lots of other artist’s albums,  Michael Monroe or Matti Fagerholm if you use his real name is mostly known for his work as frontman of Hanoi Rocks. As such he took part in the rebirth of the glam rock – sleaze rock genre together with other bands like Mötley Crüe, Ratt and others.

As ‘founding fathers’ of this genre you could name T-Rex,  Slade, New York Dolls and others, who started it in the seventies.
In 2009 Michael started forming his own band, after having toured with the reformed Hanoi Rocks between 2002 and 2009. He enlisted the help from Sami Yaffa on bass (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls,Joan Jett and the Blackhearts), Ginger on guitars (The Wildhearts), Steve Conte also on guitars (The Nex York Dolls) and finally Karl Rosqvist on drums (Danzig).

The result is an album chock full of sleazy glamrock, but with a substantial dosis of punk rock in it as well, meaning that at times I thought a was listening to a Dropkick Murphy’s album.  There’s also one almost poppy song on the album that’s called ‘All You Need’ and one that’s almost pure country music ‘Gone Baby gone’, on which he gets the help form Lucinda Williams, and as grand finale on the album you get to hear ‘Debauchery As A Fine Art’, a song for which he got the help of no other then Mr. Lemmy as whistling-buoy. A rather nice album for lovers of the genre.

75/100

Erik Morren.