Last week I got an interesting e-mail from a friend over at Metal Blade Records, and in that e-mail was the advance copy of the new SISTER album, "Disguised Vultures" which comes out January 21. I guess the best way to describe them is a mish-mosh of MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE, albeit more stripped down, throw in a bit of punk, and a heaping dose of L.A. Sunset Strip sleaze rock, and you'll get the idea. Which is not to say these guys are bad, quite the opposite. This is the perfect album to drink to, whether that's at home or in some dive bar. It's also the kind of album that people will wanna fight / and or fuck to, guaranteed. Raw, dirty, and angry for nine of the ten tracks, what would you expect, right?

"My Enemy" starts off with a sonic kick to the head and pretty much doesn't let up. Single and video "Sick" continues the assault but is a bit catchier and should have you lining up whiskey shots in no time. I particularly enjoyed title track "Disguised Vultures" due to the tempo change and sexy groove. This one reeks of bad decisions and a walk of shame the next morning. The punk sound comes in full force on "Arise" hopping along with a catchy guitar lead running throughout most of it. That sound is also there on "We Salute 'Em" but it's blended with the 80's glam metal vibe a bit and is another one that'll have heads bobbing all over.

When you hear "Slay Yourself" the 1-2-3-4 of some RAMONES songs might come to mind, but that should fade quickly as you realize that SISTER and THE RAMONES are as different as night and day. The next song picked as a single is "Naked" and I have to say I am not a fan of the decision. First off, it's not that good of a song. Secondly, I feel something more upbeat would be better, and then maybe a slow number, but what do I know? I just know that this to me was the weakest track on the whole thing. Luckily we get back to the balls with "DMN" and "(Stop the) Revolution", two fist-pumpers that I'm sure sound even better when performed in a place like one of the dives I described earlier.

Closer "Please Kill Me" is an odd duck. It starts off acoustic, then goes all kickass, but somewhere in there, especially on the chorus is a little bit o'DROPKICK MURPHYS, making it without a doubt the album's best, especially when it goes half-time for the second part of it with everyone singing along like they're in some Irish pub. I can see the beer mugs waving and hear them clinking now. All in all "Disguised Vultures" is a pretty damn good record. It sure as hell made me wanna throw back a few and go out and get in a bar fight. Then I remembered that I'm small and I bruise easy, so I'll just listen to SISTER at home.