Released on March 11, 2022, "Sexually Transmitted Mojo" is the second album from one Andreas Dötsch aka Andi the Wicked. Growing up in the metal haven of Middle Rhine in Germany, he has been cutting his teeth in various bands throughout the years. He first joined up with German power/thrash metal band WOLFEN in 2016 and leaving in 2020 but managed to release a single album with them, "Rise of the Lycans" in 2018. His main band since 2018, however has been German heavy metallers STEELPREACHER, most recently releasing "Back from Hell" with them in 2021. He also stills seems to carry a position with melodic power metal band THE WICKED CHAMBERS since 2004 but the band seems to have gone dormant, having last put out a record in 2007. Over the years, he has also made a name for himself as both a live sound engineer and stage tech. His credo has always been, "Straight and Wicked Instrumental Metal", always guaranteeing the finest workmanship on the fretboard while eschewing a "look at me" attitude and not following trends.

Andi the Wicked continues this trend on his second solo outing after 2016's "Freak on Frets". "Sexually Transmitted Mojo" - named after a conversation with a urologist - is a bit different from his first outing as he explores what it means to be a heavy metal musician for over 20 years. After releasing albums with his other bands, this album was composed and recorded during the global lockdown between 2020 and 2021. Jan Hinz - known for his work with THE GRANDTRY, SKELFIR, and APOTHIC - joins him to play the skins on the album with his uniquely creative style of drumming. I may not be altogether familiar with any of the bands that he has worked with but that doesn't diminish the talent displayed here. The simple change going from a drum machine to a real live drummer on this album definitely elevates the material and gives a more interesting listen this go-around.

Frankly, Andi the Wicked's style is bit too off-the-wall and frenetic for me to keep coming back to but he certainly holds up the chops and doesn't get stuck in a rut throughout the nine tracks on "Sexually Transmitted Mojo". At first, much of the opening track, "Staccato Mayhem" reminded me of the early records of the great JOE SATRIANI especially on his album "The Extremist" in which he didn't really try to be flashy but create wildly crazy, sing-able songs with slight guitar theatrics thrown in. But then, if it weren't for the unconventionally crunchy tone - for a solo guitar album, at least - on the next track, "Just a Tale" I'd put him more in the JOHN 5 in which he explores a more varied approach starting low and slow before going into a crunchier, yet still slow, almost lilting lead style. He keeps this strange, grungy and crunchy guitar tone throughout which makes the album sound more underground, but the riffs probably wouldn't stand out as much if it was given a glossy, polished tone like John Petrucci. The title track is filled with neo-classical YNGWIE MALSTEEM-like flair mixed with a much more musical and sing-able style to it. But my favorite track, after the excellent flamenco acoustic guitar breather, "The Wicked Interlude", is the centerpiece epic track "Four Chapters". It's one of the few tracks that seems to have a clear structure and less of a "everything but the kitchen sink" style. Even with the on-the-nose titles "The Classical Part Act 2" has brilliant moments of riffage and harmonic variety, he ends with what sounds like an improv from a live gig with "Drunk And Dirty Guitar Solo". While it highlights the absolutely flawless chops he has, it does little to excite at the end of an album that seems to go everywhere.