Of all the rock stars to have graced the planet in the last 20 years, few are as underappreciated as Dregen. Having spent time at the helm of Backyard Babies and the Hellacopters, the guitarist recently put out ‘Horns And Halos’ as part of Michael Monroe’s band, and here we find him solo and in fine form.
Here Dregen serves up a high-energy rock ‘n’roll effort that blends elements of his past successes while an army of cohorts, including Monroe’s Sammy Yaffa and Karl Rockfist, his former Hellacopters buddy Nicke Andersson, Titiyo and John Calabrese of Danko Jones, lend their own skills to proceedings.
From the two-chord piano undercurrent of opener Division Of Me to the Kiss-influenced Mojo’s Gone, it’s clear that Dregen knows his rock 'n' roll.
There’s certainly not the focus of the Hellacopters’ ‘Super Shitty To The Max’ or Backyard Babies’ ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, but you do get a sense of the moves, grooves, ducks and dives that we have come to associate with Dregen.
Along the way, guitars sparkle on radio-friendly lead-off single, Just Like That, which recalls recent efforts from Ginger and Victoria Liedtke’s Hey! Hello! project.
From start to finish, One Man Army greets your ears like an old friend and worships at the altar of Alice Cooper’s No More Mr Nice Guy, while 6-10 is a funky, sleazy romp. Pink Hearse practically maps out the musician’s epitaph in just over three fetching minutes: “When I die I want a pink hearse. I want a rocket ride with no reverse.”
The overall sound of the album might scream retro, but Dregen plays his layered, beefed-up pop collection straight from the heart.
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