For the past two years, COVID sidelined me from attending my beloved Legions of Metal Festival: A weekend long celebration of all things traditional and true. Those who have been following us from the beginning will remember our recap of 2021’s mini edition. Assuming I don’t fall ill again (third time’s the charm), I’ll be treated to the long awaited returns of Watchtower and Hirax, as well as rising stars like Striker, Owlbear, and this here band in review, Mean Mistreater. When I first saw their name on the lineup, I thought to myself, “A band that shares a name with a Grand Funk song? Cool!”
Upon exploring their debut album, Razor Wire, I wasn’t greeted by “wild, shirtless lyrics, bong-rattling bass, competent drum work”, or any other traits associated with Homer Simpson’s favorite proto-metal power trio. No, rather I was greeted by an album that can best be described as a lost Sunset Strip metal gem recorded circa ’84, only to be unearthed by musical archaeologists some 40 odd years later. Mean Mistreater claims they hail from Austin, Texas, but I’m sure if we did a 23andMe test on them, there’s bound to be some Californian headbanger dude in their blood.
When I draw these Californian comparisons, it’s not to the scene’s latter era that was dominated by sugar coated choruses and squeaky clean production, but rather the raw street metal of Mötley Crüe, early Dokken, and other staples of those salad days. This is evident on cuts like the opening “Forget It” and rowdy “Let ’em Roll”, which marry the swagger of the early American metal scene with the aggression of NWOBHM-esque riffs. And while this formula would be fine and good repeated 5-6 times over the course of a full length album (I’m a firm believer in the philosophy, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”), Mean Mistreater are better than that.
My favorite cuts are those high speed glam metal outbursts that can only be described as musical cocaine. Songs like “Waiting to Die” and the title track embody this approach to a T, chock to the brim with ripping guitar solos, soaring melodies, and pummeling drumming. Speaking of soaring melodies, the galloping “Bleeding the Night” and hard-edged “Visions” channel the aforementioned Dokken in arrangement and delivery. The closing Thin Lizzy tinged “One by One” and brooding “Bedevil” come off as a bit out of place in comparison to the rest of the album, but are still enjoyable nevertheless.
A cut above your typical “female fronted” (God, I hate that term) “NWOTHM” (I hate that term too) band, Mean Mistreater cement themselves as a force to be reckoned with on Razor Wire. They have all the tools of the trade to ascend to the top of the traditional metal ladder, and I look forward to watching their ascent for years to follow. If you’re looking for something to air guitar along with, singalong to, and get your heart pumping stupidly fast minus the harmful effects of a chemical stimulant, Razor Wire is the album for you.
8 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Dokken, Tower, Crossed Hearts