On Spinerazor Records

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Toronto punk metallers Kill Cheerleader won me over as a casual fan from a recent live show they played at Café Dekcuf in downtown Ottawa last November for as much if not more for their live performance than for their music. Interpret that as you will although for me I find that the band are usually at their most strongest as a regular touring band than as a studio band although their first full-length CD showcases some decent musicianship and catchy songwriting. After all, if Lemmy proclaims your band as "The best since Guns N' Roses," there's little room for failure in what you're doing.

Clocking in with 12 songs running in between 3 to 5 minutes, All Hail captures the sleaze and spontaneity of Motley Crue and early GNR through songs like "Don't Call Me Baby, Baby", "No Feelings", "Want Action" and "Bad Habit" and mixes in some Iron Maiden-esque melodic soloing and rhythmic playing in songs like "Deathboy", "Lady Of The Night" and the intro to "No Lullabies".In fact, "No Lullabies/Hurt The People You Love" is about the only song that seems out of place on the whole CD which up until that song had been going on a steady rocking pace and despite its good intentions in climaxing the CD with its soft acoustic undertones and proving that Kill Cheerleader aren't one-dimensional in their approach to their music, it still comes off as having to deal with a nasty hangover after coming back from the greatest house party of your life.

But again, if your debut CD is winning over fans ranging from Lemmy to the Radiohead-obsessed editors at Spin magazine and the only real weak link out of nearly a dozen songs is the last song, you're still doing something right from my viewpoint.

**** 1/4

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