Ratt ~ Infestation (album review) ... Welcome this rat into the house any time!

Style: hard rock
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 2010
Home: n/a

Members: Stephen Pearcy ~ vocals
Warren DeMartini ~ guitar/b. vocals
Carlos Cavazo ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Robbie Crane ~ bass/b. vocals
Bobby Blotzer ~ drums

 

 

Ratt's self-titled album, known by fans as 1999, is so iffy that I don't own it anymore, & I'm a Ratt & Pearcy fan. too. There's just nothing on it I want to hear again, & this comes after giving it numerous listens. I also don't own Dancing Undercover, outside of two songs. Same reasoning applies. For me those two albums are just throw away songs that have never grabbed me & demonstrate where the tightly wound Ratt template can often be its own worst enemy. So, when it comes to 1999's follow-up in Infestation my hesitancy is wanting to put on the breaks. Having listened to this album many times, forget the breaks ... go for the gas! This is the comeback Ratt fans wanted! This is Ratt! I love this album. No longer is Ratt trying to sound like current trends like grunge, something which is shared by & plaguing Pearcy's solo career at the time, but just sounding like Ratt as we know & love them. It sounds a lot like early Ratt, which the band said at the time was deliberate, but the guitars are a little harder & the sound a lot fiercer. Its a very mature sounding Ratt, yet also nostalgic. The end result is a total ear worm. This album features the same line-up of 1999, which debuted new bassist Robbie Crane, but with the addition of former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo. I don't know how much of his influence is on this, such as if his presence allowed DeMartini to have someone to bounce riffs back & forth with versus on 1999 where it was all on his shoulders. Pearcy is also in great form here, sounding more alive than he has not just on past Ratt albums but even some of his solo work. He sounds like he's enjoying himself & singing his heart out. If he wasn't, he's fooled my ears. Some critics have said this album rates as an average Ratt album, but considering what came before it, average is the perfect place to be. There are a few tracks that don't excite me ("Last Call", "Garden Of Eden", "Don't Let Go"), but when the overall album is this strong the weak moments get washed away. Pearcy asks on "Lost Weekend": "Is it me or do I like what I'm feeling?" Nope, not just you. I'm in agreement.