RADIATION ROMEOS is a new band formed by singer Parramore McCarty, best known for being the front-man of such legendary US metal acts WARRIOR and famed Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens' solo project, ATOMIC PLAYBOYS (in fact, the inspiration for the name Radiation Romeos came from a line in the song "Atomic Playboys"). The band presents their debut Hard Rock album here, self-titled, and contains eleven tracks. Let's get to some of the highlights on the album. The title track has a hard driving energy, and a polished AOR sound. It's not anything you haven't heard before, but it is catchy and easy-listening. I'm not however sold on the lyrics in the chorus..."we are Radiation Romeos...we are shining in the night...forever Radiation Romoes...we are burning deep inside;" at least outside of the context of the subject of radiation itself. Guitarist Dag however has a thick tone and nimble fingers.

"Ocean Drive" is very memorable; a song you can sing along with and one that lingers on your palate. It really allows the high tenor voice of McCarty to shine, and along with the sweet melodies are the strength of the track. You just get that nostalgic care-free feeling and it feels great. "Mystic Mountain" has some very cool reverberating guitar chords that are thick with chorus, making it sound like it is coming at you from multiple directions. Though some mid-tempo songs fail to completely get off the ground, the choruses serve this track well. No Hard Rock/AOR album would be complete without a ballad or two, right? I say this without actually joking, because it's always something I look forward to. McCarty's tender vocals are clean and bright in the track "Like an Arrow," as I extend my lighter and sing along. The piano parts are alluring here as well. "Ghost Town" is another strong track. As the title might suggest, we have acoustic guitars blending in here with a Southern/Western feeling at times. Once again the guitar work here is great-just enough lead fury at just the right time but not overbearing.

"Monstertraxx" closes the album; a song quite different from the others. It's a bit heavier; with a bit of a harder bite and a darker sound. The slow, lumbering rhythm help to accentuate this sound as well. Overall, I find this to be a promising debut album from a group of gentlemen who have been around the music scene for a while. Again, it's not a sound that you haven't heard before but on many of the tracks you get a sense of their individuality as a group. On other tracks however, the riffs are just too trite and the slower pacing can drag them down. The only other thing I might comment on are some of the lyrics. If they could find some deeper meanings and less common phrases I think you would get a better sense of their identity.