90%
The early 90s spelt the end of hair metal as a superstar era, but the music never went away. Many of those bands continue to exist in some form to this day, some clinging to the remnant of fleeting stardom, others trying to reignite the glories of yesterday, while still more just rock out as they always did – and newer, younger bands who taken inspiration from there are still appearing.
Dangerous Curves is one such band, mining the 80s hard rock scene for influences while making their own mark on the current local environment.
Second album Summertime Highs is a step forward and upward for the Geelong four piece, a more mature and complete set of tracks that sweep from the brash bar-room rock of Changing Lanes and Foolish Appetite to the slick Leppard/Jovi-esque melodies of Good and the Bad and into the stomping metal of Nightmare Games and back, with the feel and execution of the best bands of the Sunset Strip era. In terms of catchiness, memorability and re-play value, this is a huge step up from that early EP.
Originality isn’t high on the list of Dangerous Curves’ traits. They’re not re-inventing the wheel or rewriting musical history, but the riffs and the hooks are definitely their own – and they’re good ones. Ratt come strongly to mind in terms of sound, basic songwriting and Kym Britten’s raspy vocal delivery, not to mention the overall upbeat, anthemic vibe of the band’s music and when they kick into a heavier gear they are capable of standing alongside any one of the bands they’re emulating.
From smoky bar blues to straight-up heavy metal, Summertime Highs is simply a great rock and roll record from a hot band that knows exactly what they are doing.
