Here we go again! How does Sweden in particular, and the Scandinavian countries in particular manage to keep churning out top-notch Gutter Trash, Glitter Punk, Sleaze bag, Garage Rock bands in this mold? GRANDE ROYALE fit right into this sonic area neatly, especially on this, the bands 6^th album "Welcome To Grime Town", which has a sound somewhere between West End Punk and West Coast Sleaze, HANOI meets THE DOGS in a bar with THE STRAY CATS, drinking Jack listening to 70's Glam. All the ingredients are there for a tasty musical stew.

Legs dig in. First Course "Tell Me" is a tasty appetizer, smacks you right in the tastebuds with a short sharp taster of what's to come from this come from this 12 course Rock N Roll tasting menu. "Status Doom" manages to be a dirty Garage song and shiny Retro Pop-Punk at the same time, Dirty guitars and up vocals.

 "Run Officer Run" is a fun, fun, fun trashy, Glitter Punk song. The vocals take it up a notch, but the dirty guitars and banging backline all add and add some more. "You Got Me Real Good" has that glam wham-bam, but with the polish knocked off it enough to still give it that garage band, oily feel, particularly to the nasty feelings the guitars give me in places they shouldn't!

"Augury" is a personal favourite.  I like the STRAY CATS strut the song has (its that bassline!), the use of spoken vocal parts, and a storming solo, makes this track stand out for me!!!

Then they hit us with "Utopia". Whilst quite different in structure, these two songs fit together so well. Quite a Quirky number, they compliment each other like Duck and Orange (see back to the food analogy, you thought I'd forgotten).

"Freak Parade" had a poppier feel, a lightness, perhaps a little bit of a throwaway ditty.  No, it is a pallet cleanser between heavier courses, a little freshener if you will. "Move Around Time" does keep it lighter in tone (let's be honest the album is not deep, and that is definitely a benefit not an issue!).  and again, it works well as a one-two with "Stark Raving Mad", which very almost has an early, but revved up QUEEN-like vibe, from the earlier times when FREDDIE and the lads could be quite Punky in their own glamours, pomp way.

That three might have been a nice light part of the meal. "Choke On It" is the meat and potatoes. Stepping up a gear and turning it all up to 11, a more heavyweight song, well as heavy as these get. More substance, but you can still tell it is from the same chefs.

OK, in my taster menu we don't exactly have a desert, but that doesn't make the last "proper" track "Seven Days No Sleep" any less sweet.  There is a lot going on here, some complex flavours. Some jangly (80s) guitars, OK with the exception of yet another full-fat solo.  This song reminds me of the sort of thing MICHAEL MONROE does so well these days. Have to love that 80s guitar riffing, a nice end to the meal. And then "The End" is exactly that! You've paid the bill, and with your receipt there is that nice minty sweet, just to finish you off, no more, no less.

If you cannot tell I really like this album.  The sound is on-point. The production is right for each song, the musicians are tight.  The songs, controversially, I would say are not designed to be memorable, they are there to be danced to, to sing along with, to have a good time whilst listening to, not to be deep and meaningful or change the world, just good clean (OK dirty) fun.  But I cannot give less than a ten, because I believe the song fore fill their remit.