Curses, as anybody who likes
Rye Coalition enough to read about its trials and triumphs on the web knows, is the product of spectacularly bad luck. After the veteran band was signed to Interscope and landed
Dave Grohl as a producer, a whole lotta nothing happened, and after a long-enough time, members Ralph Cuseglio, Jon Gonnelli, David Leto, Justin Morey, and Herb Wiley collectively decided to pull the plug, eventually handing over the fruits of their labor to longtime New Jersey label Gern Blandsten. The major label's loss was the pop-metal-punk underworld's gain: right out of the gate,
Rye rips it up on this disc, recalling equal parts vintage
AC/DC and
Led Zeppelin, with a little
KISS thrown in to keep things playful. Top tracks on a CD that ought to bring this smart, tight, and turbulent-in-all-the-right-ways band the recognition it so rightly deserves -- Interscope or no Interscope -- include "Pussyfootin'," "Young Yellers," and "Burn the Masters." ~ Tammy La Gorce