SOUND AND FURY

This must be the year for AC/DC-inspired hard rock albums. Earlier in 2008 Australia's AIRBOURNE released (in North America) the raucous, booze-soaked rock 'n' roll fire of "Runnin' Wild". Now comes Toronto quintet SOUND AND FURY with its self-titled debut, another quality batch of ass kickin' tunes with sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll as central themes and Angus/Malcolm Young guitar style/tone and the kind of hot, bluesy licks heard on albums like 1978's "Powerage".

Odds are you've already gotten the gist of SOUND AND FURY's offering to the rock-hungry masses. You will indeed hear a great deal of AC/DC power rocking, which leans more to the Bon Scott side of the line, right down to the nasty riffs and craggy solos. Hell, parts of the relatively slower paced burn of "Night of the Ghouls" made me think of "Sin City".

The difference with SOUND AND FURY is the infusion of a glam and punk rock sleaze factor, primarily the result of vocalist Luke Metcalf's snotty, yet soulful, vocal style. Listen to Metcalf's opening salvo on "Runaway Love" (an album highlight) of "Hello dad, hello mom, I make your daughter go off like a bomb" and you will soon realize that sociopolitical commentary is not on the front man's list of lyrical priorities. But hey, the guy is talking it like he walked it, having been kicked out of three different high schools, lived on the street, and squatted with street punk kids.

The fact of the matter is that there is a dearth of bands capable of making this kind of quality, high energy hard rock album with big guitars and even bigger hooks. Even those songs that don't work quite as well, mainly because the cheese factor begins to wear thin (e.g. "High School Hotbox" and "Bad Touch"),the results are still more than acceptable. Besides, diamonds like the slamming "18" and the hooky "Teenage Rampage" more than make up for it. Get soused, crank up the volume, and let it all hang out; that's what SOUND AND FURY is all about (rhyming unintentional).