Kristy Majors & The Thrill Kills – S/T

Kristy Majors will be a name well known to Glam Metal fans, due to his band Pretty Boy Floyd. When they released their debut album “Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz” (Z’s for S’s were compulsory then!) it was met by much derision by so called critics. Funnily though, over the years it has earnt some begrudging respect, which is well placed as it’s a classic pop metal album. Credit also has to go to Kristy for his persistence and determination which has seen him never leaving rock n roll.
Opening song, “Beginners Luck” might come as a shock for those expecting throw away pop metal, as it is surprisingly hard and aggressive with a real punk edge to it. This brash style also features on “Broken Lip” which has a real Pistols undertone and shows that perhaps Kirsty has moved from lip gloss to giving broken lips! That pent up anger certainly comes out on “Pissed It All Away” which suggests everything isn’t sweetness and light in the world.
Fans of melodic, glammy metal don’t panic though, “Dead Beat” is closer to PBF. It still has that punk feel but with more emphasis on the melody and the sing along chorus certainly giving it a shinier, pop metal feel. Then the gang vocals on “Empty Handed” and the chugging guitar line will certainly get you rocking. “Stagnation Street” has a glorious swaggering beat to it. Ironically, so many glam bands from the late eighties/early nineties claimed to be influenced by Hanoi Rocks, but this track really does sound like a sleaze rock band which understands what that really entails.
Given its title, it is no surprise that “Make Up” is a track which, at a push, could have featured on a PBF album back in the day. It’s a futuristic sounding song which will cause those old enough to remember to start reminiscing about the likes of Star Star and Big Bang Babies. “Falling Behind” keeps the glam rock coming, it’s a track that, if given the chance, would have the rock club’s dance floors jumping and shaking.

The album ends with “Magazine” which is actually a really fine modern, pop rock song which hints at influences like Cheap Trick, but with an almost alternative rock vibe, it works really well.
Kristy Majors & Thrill Kills have managed to achieve something quite rare here – they give us an album which is clearly rooted in sleaze/glam metal but not one that sounds just dated and retro. Given the ridiculous success a band like Steel Panther have achieved, maybe the time is right for a regeneration of bands with big, brash rock songs that are fun to listen to. Whilst appealing to fans of Kristy’s previous output, it also has enough punk and attitude to attract a wider fan base. For some, however, it will just raise the hope that maybe they will get at least one more chance to dig out the bandanna and ripped jeans and get down to Rock City!