Roxin' Palace-Freaks of Society

Sleazy Rider Records
2016

Originally known as Modern Middle Ages, Roxin' Palace is a (somewhat sleazy) hard & heavy band that hails from Italy and was formed back in 2011 by Crown, guitar player of Revoltons and Hell, ex-drummer for Elvenking. This 13-track album is Roxin' Palace's second full-length recording and it was just released last October.  Available on iTunes for the unbelievably low price of only $4.99(!), "Freaks Of Society" follows the group's 2013 self-titled debut and it finds Crown and Hell backed by two new members, lead vocalist Al and bass guitarist Gian. These two talented musicians replace the departed Axel (vox), Slaver (guitar), and Garret (bass). Having heard some of the group's previous album (which you can read about thanks to the good folks over at Sleaze Roxx) this new line-up seems to be a improvement over the old one. Or to put it another way, "Freaks Of Society" provides a clear cut case of addition by way of subtraction! With the short and sweet title track serving as little more than a brief introduction on Roxin' Palace's brand new album, "Monsters Love" (this album's second track) is the heavy crunchy that actually gets the party started!! Running close to five minutes in length, "Monsters Love" is a (guitar rock-worthy) song that combines the appeal of classic bands like Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, and (early) Mötley Crüe with the vibrant colors of modern day hard rock. The same slick set of circumstances applies to the album's third number, "Gangs Eraser", as this wicked fun cut takes from the past and the present in order to roll out a rock-steady song that is just DYNAMITE! Thanks to influences that run the gamut from The Beatles to Megadeth(!), Italy's Roxin' Palace is able to offer a lot more bang for your hard earned buck. When you stack this up-and-coming quartet next to your average, everyday sleaze rock/hair metal/glam metal revival band you'll quickly notice just how much these other influences help out when it comes to an album's overall listening experience. Sure enough, because of the way in which "Freaks Of Society" was written, performed, and produced it does have the same lively feel of vintage band's like Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, Dangerous Toys, Ratt, Kik Tracee, Faster Pussycat, and Shotgun Messiah. There's nothing wrong with that picture. Not at all. Actually, that's a big part of why this album is as fun as it is! For those who loved the mid-eighties to early-nineties hard rock and/or hair metal/glam metal scene this disc should be a real hit!! It's just that the guys in Roxin' Palace stretch their creative wings nice and wide by adding in some harder moments ("Rockers of the Eagles" and "F.A.N.") that wouldn't be too far removed from the likes of Alice Cooper, Mind Funk, "Black" to"Load"-era Metallica, Leatherwolf, and "Slave to the Grind"-era Skid Row. With bad ass ready-steady rockers ("Thai of Mine", "Postatomic Hotel", "Monkey Junkie", and "Little Lizzy") and the obligatory ballad ("L.A. Mist"), "Freaks Of Society" is damn fine any way you slice you! But what happens when you toss in some punk rock Poison ("F.A.N."), dive bar hard rock ("Neighborhood Stars") and sleazy & easy garage metal ("Fading Idol")? Well, that's where the aforementioned "party" comment comes into play. Carrying around a copy of "Freaks Of  Society" is akin to having an instant party at your fingertips! Just add some cold beer and hot women to the mix and you are all set!