Alibis and Ammunition
Sunday, July 29, 2007 at 10:23AM 
You never know who will end up in your email in-box.
A few weeks ago, sweet Acey Slade of Trashlight Vision and the Murderdolls dropped me a line. We conversed via e-mail a few times, and then set-up a formal interview. The transcription of that interview will post tomorrow on Bring Back Glam! Today, a review of the new Trashlight Vision album Alibis and Ammunition (the album has been available in the U.K. for several months, but was finally released for U.S distribution on July 10, 2007).
Trashlight Vision is much more sleaze-oriented than the Murderdolls. The sound is generally different, mainly because Acey Slade assumes lead vocal duties (don’t worry; he plays guitars for Trashlight Vision as well).
Alibis and Ammunition opens with “Dead Waves on the Air,” featuring punk-fast guitar riffs and vocals that verge on screaming. It’s a good little track, but not the best that Trashlight Vision has to offer. That distinction is reserved for “Allergic to You.”
“Allergic to You” features lyrics you can actually understand under all that angst-fueled musicianship. Yes Acey still screams here, but the rest of the “trashy” bunch prove that they can harmonize. Harmonies matter in punk-sleaze! In some ways, the backing vocals really carrying this song. This isn’t to say that Acey can’t sing – quite the contrary. Rather, he possesses the rare musical ability to spot talent in others, and that means he formed a band to enhance his abilities as a frontman. Someone else must agree, because “Allergic to You” is the first track from Alibis and Ammunition to garner significant radio airplay.
Moving along, “Screw Worm Baby” features an interesting sound with syncopated rhythms and a nice, simple, drum part. Every smart band writes a song with an easy chorus that fans can remember. This is especially important for those pressure-filled moments during concerts when the lead singer demand the audience participate! It doesn’t matter if it’s a dive bar or a stadium, “Screw Worm Baby” will be the song that Acey demands a sing-a-long. I say, bring it on!
“Faceplant Pavement” begins with canned sounds of a news report. It features a traditional anchor toss: “New, exclusive details in the story./He’s live in Voorhees tonight with the details, Harry?” I’m pretty sure I’ve written this toss in my illustrious news career about 9,987 times. Is this a reference to the U.K. thrash band Voorhees? A snub at celebrity infotainment? Almost immediately, Acey screams lyrics dealing with “celebrity skin.” Is this homage to Courtney Love and Hole? Later in the song, Acey recounts the story of woman left for dead – in spoken word. There are lots of thrash elements to this song. So much so, it’s almost metal core, and not sleaze. This isn’t a bad thing, just a different sound.
Trashlight Vision also covers the Ramones on Alibis and Ammunition. It’s pretty cool hearing Acey Slade’s voice on “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg).” The cover is definitely a new spin on the classic track, but Trashlight Vision does the song much justice. Here, Acey’s voice is clean, and again the backing vocals are strong. It was a good production decision to use this song at the mid-point of Alibis and Ammunition.
Loyal readers to this online magazine know the glam mistress loves strong bass lines and progressive Metal. “Horns and Halo’s” (apostrophe included) features a nice progressive-like intro with a short string arrangement before the sleaze-punk screams begin. The track is short, but here that’s a good thing. “Horns and Halo’s gives listeners the correct amount of Progressive Metal on a punk-inspired release. The effort is smart and doesn’t feel contrived.
Trashlight Vision are:
Acey Slade - Vocals/guitar
Steve Haley - Guitar/vocals
Roger Segal - Bass/vocals
Jonny Chops – Drums
www.myspace.com/trashlightvision
Photo Credit: Steve Prue for Trashlight Vision
Reader Comments (3)
Please, I'm waiting for an answer... and sorry for my bad english :(
Thank you!!
Go to www.amazon.co.uk and search for Trashlight Vision. You can buy the CD that way...it's about 13 pounds.
Allyson