It happens all the time. Popular bands break up, then years later they reunite and sadly wind up sounding little like the turbo-fueled entities they once were when they started. Then there are the rare exceptions – like RATT.
As the story goes, Ratt helped pioneer Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip sound and scene. The band has returned sounding fired up and better than ever. Ratt’s first studio album in 11 years, Infestation, is a return to their heavy, riff driven roots. The band has reinvented their sound by rediscovering their strengths, shuttling listeners to a time when metal ruled the earth and real musicians wore eyeliner like a badge of honor.
“We wanted this to be like something that we would have written right after [1984’s] Out of the Cellar, says vocalist Stephen Pearcy. “We definitely went back to basics with the mindset of a band with a lot of excitement and some great songs to get out.”
Right out of the box, Infestation ignites like gasoline to an open flame, bursting with an energy and attitude absent from metal for years, unheard, perhaps, since before the dawn of DVDs, grunge and Facebook. Album opener “Eat Me Up Alive” slaps you in the face with attitude and a timeless riff that has been a staple in Ratt’s music and has set them apart from the pack. From the strip pole gyrations of “Look Out Below” to the keg party anthem “Take a Big Bite,” Infestation rages with a life and energy that Ratt is famous for.
Yet Infestation is more than a party album. While the music is a glorious celebration throughout, some of the lyrics are serious and sobering, weighing the benefits of monogamy versus the thrill of rampant hedonism without being preachy or judgmental. On “Take Me Home,” Pearcy declares, “I’ll tell you a little secret that you need to know/ you’re always in my heart, always in my soul.” Then, in “Garden of Eden,” his alter ego brags: “I got a bad reputation and you knew it so well/ yeah, I’ll give you what you need/I’m gonna take you to hell.”
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