Something tells me we’re not going to get a deep discussion of gnostic hermeticism from a band called BALLS GONE WILD. Now some wags might call them BALLS GONE MILD, but honestly, these guys are shooting for simple hard rock, not skull-crushing metal. With that being said, this is a pretty forgettable release.
The press sheet describes them as “AC/DC meets MOTORHEAD” but BGW doesn’t have anywhere near the grittiness of those two bands. It’s not even on the same planet, although the basic riffs do bring AC/DC to mind on occasion. But to me, it sounds like AC/DC filtered by modern radio rock and rendered more accessible. There’s something about the approach that reminds me of METALLICA’s Load and Reload albums…not the actual structure of the music, but just something in the overall feel. The vocals are way smoother than Lemmy or Brian Johnson could ever be and though there’s a lot of cursing in the lyrics, it takes a bit more than that to make you a rebel these days.
I don’t want to sound too hard on them, because there is some simple enjoyment to be found in tracks like ‘Hangman’, ‘Masked City’ and ‘Plata o Plomo’. I’ll bet these guys are a lot of fun to see on a Friday night at the local watering hole, but I guarantee you’re not going to remember Stay Wild very long after you hear it.
Review By: Dr. Abner Mality
BALLS GONE WILD
Stay Wild
2 / 6
Metalville Records