Best of Metal is hard and soft. But the album isn't entirely truthful, substituting live or later versions of hit songs like "Sister Christian" and
Lita Ford's "Close My Eyes Forever." It's rather heavy on covers, too, with
George Lynch running capably through "Rock Me Like a Hurricane," and no less than two
Led Zeppelin tributes from
Great White (
Jack Russell's
Robert Plant impersonation is utterly perfect, and rather amazing.) The hair metal faves that fall in between are probably this comp's best feature.
Warrant contributes both "Cherry Pie" and "Sometimes She Cries," while
Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool" stands as one of the scene's shining moments. The only real misstep here is a clunky, somewhat spazzy cover of
Queensrÿche's "Big City Nights," by someone named Keith Dubrew. That said, fans of the genre will likely already have this collection's standouts, or find them elsewhere with a stronger supporting cast. ~ Johnny Loftus