Not as new wave-indebted as
Horny as Hell but more consistent than
Blood & Thunder, 1991's
Are You Real was perceptibly touched by the influences of Manchester. Arrangements started to loosen up, the camp aggression had been reduced, and the band became more dance-oriented, more joyful. "Heart of Stone" showcased Dirk Da Davo and T.B. Frank's new
C+C Music Factory-like blueprint: warm, spirited hip-hop and light and anthemic house music structures. Backed by nods to
David Bowie ("Forever Be Mine") and
the Farm ("Sophisticated," "Baby's on Fire"), the band hid any evidence of its old industrial/electro-pop outlook inside a legitimately entertaining atmosphere of baggy beats, heavy metal, and a charmingly naïve interpretation of rave technology. ~ Dean Carlson