MADHOUSE are best recognized for being an Austrian hard rock five piece, hailing from Vienna. They formed in 2017, with their debut single "Hard and Heavy" being released in 2018. Subsequently, they released their first studio album "Money Walks Bullshit Talks" a year later. Following a small two-year break, MADHOUSE returned with two brand new tracks "Sick Of It All" and "I Walk the Ponygirl", which were featured on their second studio release "Bad Habits". Additionally, in 2021 the band revealed their first cover track; Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Time Warp". Earlier this year MADHOUSE got back to work, revealing a remix of their recent track "Ciclico" with house artist BADWOLF, as well as four promotional tracks for their upcoming album; "Down 'N' Dirty", "Love Is Blind", "This Is Horrorwood" and "Hard Luck". As a result, MADHOUSE's third studio album "Down 'N' Dirty" was released on July 29^th, 2022, via Rock Of Angels Records.

The first song on the album is the title track "Down 'N' Dirty". Featuring a kick-ass guitar riff at the beginning that just exudes confidence, not to mention some killer vocals from vocalist Tommy Lovelace, this track just has so much star power! "Hard Luck" contains some synthesizers at the start, making you wonder what's about to happen. However, in no time I am treated to another impactful guitar riff, which really makes a mark. "Kiss And Tell" is in a similar vein, with a catchy chorus and a memorable melody throughout leading the way. "Passionkiller" is up next, which is just riffs galore! The chorus of this song is seriously addictive and just so infectious. "This Is Horrorwood" starts off on an intriguing note with some unusual sound effects. It appears someone is getting mauled by a dog, which is a gruesome yet interesting way to start a song. This track definitely doesn't disappoint!

"In The Doghouse" ironically is the next track! This is yet another song that has a MOTLEY CRUE vibe to it, which is just so irresistible. "You And I Against The World" begins unexpectedly slower than the rest. This more acoustic style suits them down to the ground - it would be great to hear more tracks like this in the future! "Kung Fu Holidays" features some fiesty kung fu type sound effects at the beginning, before leaping right in with another great riff! However, this is the first song on the album where the chorus lacks memorability. "Much II Much" and "Love Is Blind" are just like the latter, with some solid riffs only pulling these songs through, unfortunately. "You Can't Lead A Whore" starts off well, with a charming acoustic melody leading the way, before another striking hard rock riff ups the ante. The last track is "Antihero", which is anti-climactic to say the least. Not a great closer by any means.

"Down 'N' Dirty" could definitely be described as more of a classic rock album, which is clearly inspired by a lot of older bands. Whilst there is no denying that this type of sound is extremely popular, this album just isn't for me. As a whole, there are only one or two standout songs, and a lot of the choruses just end up letting the tracks down. I wouldn't recommend this album.