3D In your Face
Midnight Devils
Independent Release
2013
When I saw 3D in your Face for the first time in photos I thought that they were a bad case of glammed up bunch of folks that saw the dudes from Steel Panther and thought it might be easy to be copy-cats. How almost totally wrong was I! I mean, their music is pretty awesome and they try the best they can with limited resources to be entertaining – which is quite commendable! Obviously the latter sort of doesn’t always end up looking 100% awesome, but, that’s the intention!
While to the untrained eye, 3D, might look like poor transvestite relatives of Twisted Sister, who already had taken the hideously tranny rocker look, possibly as far as it could go, there’s far more to them than mascara and wigs! 3D seem to have inherited this Sister-like gutsy feel, only a little wimpier, maybe sounding a bit like Sister around “Love is for Suckers”, which wasn’t a bad album in its own right, it just wasn’t a proper Twisted Sister album, even if it contained some pretty enjoyable cuts.
But to be more critical of the album, which happens to be the bands fourth overall release following two albums and an EP, let’s do a track-by-track analysis:
“Forbidden City” is really pacey and hitting, and could really have been a bona fide hit with a slightly more imaginative chorus, but it’s not a bad opener as is. It contains some “cool ass riffs” TM and a blistering solo that are pretty noteworthy.
The rather silly, sorta hillbilly titled “Generation Durt” is loads of fun, as it takes the best of that Sisters sorta thing and mixes it with an s-punky, kinda Ugly Kid Joe spirit and it kicks ya back in the face with a lot of attitude and bravado! Its wah-wah infested solo, is also groovy, baby if not a little too sort and there are even sing-a-long hey-hey sections! What’s not to like?
“In Your Face” is blatantly sleazy and seedy and more UK Joeeeey and has a nice groovy fat riff, that I don’t mind at all, especially when it later transmorphs at some point into a twisted solo that really grooves like a motherfucker!
The track that lends its name to the album “Midnight Devils”, is far punkier, but not really in this “neo” punk way. Or in the original UK sense. I suppose, a close description would be, Boston or, NY hardcore influenced, but, the singing, is very proper, which makes it sound really odd!
“Always Brings Me Back” is a cool ballad, more measured and not the usual arse-wiped romantic BS, that tends to rhyme baby with maybe... oh this ain’t Bieber baby! Hahaha!
“Sleeping in Omaha” I suppose must be like sleeping in any other place, but I won’t be able to tell unless I take a nap there... according to the band however it’s a stomping rocker that makes little sense whatsoever and while its overall 80s pop-rock aura ain’t too turgid, it ain’t something to really get overexcited about either.
“Bleed Betty Bleed” is a bit more Ramonesy, without being punk-rock exactly, but it’s more rock ‘n roll and basic so it’s got this sort of vibe that’s reminiscent of them, but with solos! And a slightly more tuneful singer. And a bit of piano and clapping and the song goes for more than 2 and a half minutes unlike most of the ‘Mones ! That’s where all similarities end!
“Underneath the Stairs” begins with some bizarre acoustic guitar noodlings and its overall style is really “different”. It’s slightly shock-rocking, spooky, mid-tempo, but pretty cool overall.
“Time We Had Our Fun” is well... loads of fun!
“Radar Guided Love Bomb” might be a song referring to the sort of “dirty little sisters”, that make all of us Mister Sisters go “ants in pants” and while it takes double entandre to new levels.
“Squeeze Me Dry” is another nasty nugget that tends to be a little too directly, to the point, but it’s funky and instantly likable. It has a sort of BnB meets Motley sort of filthy air about it that just makes it quite irresistible...
Finally “I Still Believe in Rock ‘n Roll” tries to be the band’s “God gave RnR to You” type of anthem, but it’s a lot less polished, a helluva more monotonous and not quite the anthem they might have hoped for, but it’s a fairly decent try.
Overall, it's a mighty good album musically speaking. I loved it. I secretly adored it. But the band could as well try a little harder, with their visual aspect, (ie a stylized comic cover – might have been more fun than the average shot of the band that currently adorns it) which can still be fine-tuned and with their overall media presence. They seem to be motivated and have a fire burning in them and a knack for writing good songs – so… get some new wigs, a stylist, some new clothes and we may have a winner! Deffo a band worth checking out…
While to the untrained eye, 3D, might look like poor transvestite relatives of Twisted Sister, who already had taken the hideously tranny rocker look, possibly as far as it could go, there’s far more to them than mascara and wigs! 3D seem to have inherited this Sister-like gutsy feel, only a little wimpier, maybe sounding a bit like Sister around “Love is for Suckers”, which wasn’t a bad album in its own right, it just wasn’t a proper Twisted Sister album, even if it contained some pretty enjoyable cuts.
But to be more critical of the album, which happens to be the bands fourth overall release following two albums and an EP, let’s do a track-by-track analysis:
“Forbidden City” is really pacey and hitting, and could really have been a bona fide hit with a slightly more imaginative chorus, but it’s not a bad opener as is. It contains some “cool ass riffs” TM and a blistering solo that are pretty noteworthy.
The rather silly, sorta hillbilly titled “Generation Durt” is loads of fun, as it takes the best of that Sisters sorta thing and mixes it with an s-punky, kinda Ugly Kid Joe spirit and it kicks ya back in the face with a lot of attitude and bravado! Its wah-wah infested solo, is also groovy, baby if not a little too sort and there are even sing-a-long hey-hey sections! What’s not to like?
“In Your Face” is blatantly sleazy and seedy and more UK Joeeeey and has a nice groovy fat riff, that I don’t mind at all, especially when it later transmorphs at some point into a twisted solo that really grooves like a motherfucker!
The track that lends its name to the album “Midnight Devils”, is far punkier, but not really in this “neo” punk way. Or in the original UK sense. I suppose, a close description would be, Boston or, NY hardcore influenced, but, the singing, is very proper, which makes it sound really odd!
“Always Brings Me Back” is a cool ballad, more measured and not the usual arse-wiped romantic BS, that tends to rhyme baby with maybe... oh this ain’t Bieber baby! Hahaha!
“Sleeping in Omaha” I suppose must be like sleeping in any other place, but I won’t be able to tell unless I take a nap there... according to the band however it’s a stomping rocker that makes little sense whatsoever and while its overall 80s pop-rock aura ain’t too turgid, it ain’t something to really get overexcited about either.
“Bleed Betty Bleed” is a bit more Ramonesy, without being punk-rock exactly, but it’s more rock ‘n roll and basic so it’s got this sort of vibe that’s reminiscent of them, but with solos! And a slightly more tuneful singer. And a bit of piano and clapping and the song goes for more than 2 and a half minutes unlike most of the ‘Mones ! That’s where all similarities end!
“Underneath the Stairs” begins with some bizarre acoustic guitar noodlings and its overall style is really “different”. It’s slightly shock-rocking, spooky, mid-tempo, but pretty cool overall.
“Time We Had Our Fun” is well... loads of fun!
“Radar Guided Love Bomb” might be a song referring to the sort of “dirty little sisters”, that make all of us Mister Sisters go “ants in pants” and while it takes double entandre to new levels.
“Squeeze Me Dry” is another nasty nugget that tends to be a little too directly, to the point, but it’s funky and instantly likable. It has a sort of BnB meets Motley sort of filthy air about it that just makes it quite irresistible...
Finally “I Still Believe in Rock ‘n Roll” tries to be the band’s “God gave RnR to You” type of anthem, but it’s a lot less polished, a helluva more monotonous and not quite the anthem they might have hoped for, but it’s a fairly decent try.
Overall, it's a mighty good album musically speaking. I loved it. I secretly adored it. But the band could as well try a little harder, with their visual aspect, (ie a stylized comic cover – might have been more fun than the average shot of the band that currently adorns it) which can still be fine-tuned and with their overall media presence. They seem to be motivated and have a fire burning in them and a knack for writing good songs – so… get some new wigs, a stylist, some new clothes and we may have a winner! Deffo a band worth checking out…