I think you get the picture: if you can see Diamond Dogs, do it at all costs. I shall be seeing them again when they return with Nazareth. Oh, yes, and they played most of Bound to Ravage. We were all having so much damn fun it was hard pay attention to the actual songs. A cracking night!

CD Reviews: Dogpound, Soul Doctor, and Wet Animal

Thematically, most of these releases are of a similar style to Diamond Dogs and The Pariahs.

Dogpound's A Night in the Gutter

First up, we have another Swedish band, Dogpound. The music on A Night in the Gutter may be a bit less louche than Diamond Dogs', but the quality is comparable. Dogpound seem like a cross between Tesla and KingsX, with a wide range of styles and a strong strand of quality running through them. The release is melodic, but with guts and glory. Tracks like "5 Seconds Away" just ooze pure melodic rock class. The final track, "Worth the Pain," is just a wonderful song that leaves the listener with a cheesy smile on his face. A Night in the Gutter is yet another stellar Lion release from a band I hope to see live very soon.

Soul Doctor's For a Fistful of Dollars

Speaking of Tesla, Soul Doctor are undoubtedly admirers as well, because For a Fistful of Dollars just oozes a Tesla type of vibe. Thunder comes to mind on some tracks, but Thunder never wrote tracks like "Cheap Down n' Nasty". The song sounds a bit like Tesla attempting to do a Hanoi Rocks gutter anthem. Featuring former members of Fair Warning, Frontiers has a great band on its hands with this one. With songs like "Best Way to Fade" and "Ten Seconds to Love," what's not to like? For a Fistful of Dollars is a CD worth seeking out; the Japanese version comes with a bonus track.

As I would Dogpound, I would love to see Soul Doctor play live. Maybe a joint tour be in order. It's great to see this sort of slightly country-tinged hard-rock making a comeback. Good news: guys who know how to rock hard with a smile on their face and tongue firmly planted in cheek still exist.

Wet Animal's Self-Titled Debut

Escapi Records' Wet Animal, on the other hand, does a more Circus of Power/Motorhead type of simple straight-ahead, blues-influenced rock & roll. In their self-titled debut release, this lot produce a boatload of driving hard rock that slaps you upside the head and gets your attention. In press pictures, the band have that slightly threatening look. While less melodic than Soul Doctor and Dogpound, the sheer drive of this band's combined scratchy vocals and driving guitar give it some great power. On tracks like "Outside a Hole," lead singer Shane Pasqualla sounds almost Ozzy-esque in his style, while the guitarist has a Zack Wylde quality and appeal to his playing.