Heavy Metal Kids

Even before it hit the streets, nobody expected that the Heavy Metal Kids' sophomore album would be able to match the magnificence of its predecessor -- but in fairness, Anvil Chorus does pack a couple of highs. The opening "Hard at the Top" ushers in warmed-up Mott the Hoople-isms and "You Got Me Rollin'" continues the disorientation, while "On the Street" and "Old Time Boogie both sound uncannily like something Humble Pie might have left behind the last time they came round for dinner. But when "Situation's Outta Control" slides into view, you're reminded just why you're persevering: a lazy, Stonesy ballad riding a haunted organ line, it's gives frontman Gary Holton a chance to truly exercise his tonsils. The single "Blue Eyed Boy" continues the renaissance, despite some distinctly dodgy lyrics (it's hard to believe that this is the same band that once rhymed "please the Lord" with "arpeggio chord"!), and the closing clip of "Crisis," the Thin Lizzy-ish "The Cops Are Coming," and "The Big Fire" wrap things up in respectable fashion. [The 2009 reissue included bonus tracks.] ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide