Back in the day, the L.A. 80's Glam scene was absolutely killer! Its great hair and sexy good looks, raw music and pure sex ruled the scene and airwaves and had everyone hook, line and sinker. From the bombastic bad boys of MOTLEY CRUE, GNR, and W.A.S.P, through to the just as down and dirty QUIET RIOT, GREAT WHITE and DOKKEN, Los Angeles bore some belting bands that knew how to full-frontally rock it. Fast forward a few decades or so, and there's a contemporary American Hair kid in town in the form of fiery quintet WIKKID STARR. Hailing from L.A., WIKKID STARR is here to kick ass and recreate the glory days of all things Glam in their latest release "Sudden Impact". The band opened for L.A. GUNS (amongst a whole host of other big names), followed with a concert next to DOKKEN and then made waves headlining their own show in November 2019. Knowing that WIKKID STARR has confidently performed next to such accomplished bands on the scene, and judging by the scantily clad bodacious babe on the front of the album, you know the guys from WIKKID STARR are guaranteed to offer up some proper cock-rock, and ready as ever to sow their downright seedy musical seed.

Kicking off the album, "Bring it On" rip-roars in high-octane MOTLEY CRUE "Kickstart My Heart" style glory. Fistfuls of filth are rolled in with dirty guitars, courtesy of the frantic finger work of Kyle and Rafa, with a dash of a few sultry blues tones towards the end and a heap load of grit and sleaze to boot with Toney's overtly gravelly vocals. Pure filth that sets the tone perfectly for the out-of-control antics of "Out in the City". The track pummels through, spitting out the antics of being let loose. Styled with solid riffs and great air guitar, you can't help but get sucked into the fist-pumping "Out in the city" hook.

WIKKID STARR sure know how to serve up the kitsch party piece and "All Hell's Breaking Loose" delivers it with bells and whistles aplenty. Lyrics like "It's a Wikkid Starr party on a Saturday night" feel a little TOO 80's in some respect, but in others, create an infectious endearment to the record, especially how it sonically emulates Y&T "Down and Dirty". "Bring all your models, bring all your friends" takes you to the most depraved debauched MOTLEY CRUE depths in your mind; sordid retro smut at its finest! Speaking of which, "Pump House" is utter unapologetic filth. WIKKID STARR slow things right down, go full throttle with the smut and slide in a muddied WARRANT "Downboys" touch. "Take me to the Pump House, baby... satisfaction always guaranteed...", I mean, with lyrics like that, it's impossible not to get hot under the collar. With some sullied pumping action from Sergio's drums, moaning wails of guitars and dirty riffs, "Pump House" is the highlight of "Sudden Impact" by a dirty country mile.

Speaking of the dirt, "Rocket Ride" absolutely SLAYS a "Looks That Kill" MOTLEY CRUE vibe to the riff. Impure in all forms, this track ups the WIKKID STARR filth-o-metre several notches and fills it to the brim. Toney delivers some seriously sexy vocals with a God-damn infectious hook, "Shoot me up with your loving, fill me up inside... shoot me up with your loving, take a rocket ride". And then there's "Betty Sue" which has the hottest combination of POISON "Unskinny Bop" and GNR "Rocket Queen" to the riffs, beats and tempo. Special mention for that moody bass work from Zeus; it tipped me over the mother funking edge with those sexy grooves.

Rounding up "Sudden Impact" is the smooth ballad, "You Just Don't Understand", which falls somewhere between CINDERELLA and POISON and layers with a more acoustic feel and string section. Whilst the majority of the album is almost like listening to the late great frontman Kevin DuBrow of QUIET RIOT, "You Just Don't Understand", vocally, is like listening to the love-child of Y&T's Dave Meniketti and HANOI ROCKS Michael Monroe. It's aurally ultra-smooth with an edgy hint and, whilst I love the playfulness of "Sudden Impact", I'd have personally enjoyed a couple more heartstring tugging tracks like this. Digging around, I actually came upon WIKKID STARR's single "Face the Day"; this would have been a perfect addition to the album.

"Sudden Impact" is a fun-loving album jam-packed with energetic rock, enticing innuendo and salacious hooks. Some could say that this album is a 'grower', not a 'show-er'; admittedly, it took me a few listens to dig all the tracks, but there are certainly some great stand-out tunes fit for a hardened Glam girl like me, and indeed, for other Hair fans alike.

A sterling bit of work, WIKKID STARR!