RAT ALLEY – Down & Out (recorded 1989) [first time on CD remastered] (2023)

In the late ’80s countless hard rock bands littered the smokey local bars and nightclubs across America. Support your local rock was advised and Bostonians did just that while embracing a homegrown three-piece called RAT ALLEY that delivered gritty whiskey-fueled swinging rhythms and a good time with swagger.
The members of RAT ALLEY were not newcomers to the local scene. From the ashes of a metal band known as Iron Rage, remaining members John Williams (vocals, guitar) and Mike Fitzgerald (drums) formed RAT ALLEY at the beginning of 1989 in their native Boston. With the addition of bassist Chris Dahlstedt (ex- Tin Pan Alley), the group toured the Massachusetts area becoming quite popular, opening for major acts like Overkill and T.N.T., while recorded their own songs onto tape.
Cherrydisk Records offered a recording deal, but due to internal troubles the band decided to call it quits in January, 1992. Rat Alley reunited few years ago for some concerts, and now finally after all these years that 1989 recordings will be finally released on CD, digitally remastered under the title “Down & Out”.
This is late ’80 US rocking stuff with melody Spread Eagle, Skid Row, L.A. Guns, Circus Of Power, etc

Rat Alley (the group’s name was taken after a notorious alley in Boston where the band often partied) style is quite curious; they blend the nuances of Californian Hard Rock / Hair Metal – specially on the choruses – with the typical East US Metal intense riffage so common those days in America.
This mix works very well for the most part on all the nine tracks here.

The foot-tapping, commercial “Rockin’ Romancer” and “The Storm”, the bluesy hard rocker “Leave Me Alone” and the dirty “One Way Town” (nice solo) contrast with more metallic, darker tracks such as “Nothin Like You” and “Down And Out”, both featuring a strong US Metal imprint surely influenced by the member’s previous band.

The release of ”Down & Out” is a cool and nice way to taste the hard rock sound populating the US East Coast three decades + ago. Rat Alley definitely sounds like a trio – a power trio I’d say – and while most of the tracks are straightforward rockers fueled by pentatonic guitars, all are quite melodic juxtaposing bravado with catchiness. All songs are well recorded, and considering its analog source this remaster brings the best of ’em.

01 – Rockin’ Romancer
02 – Leave Me Alone
03 – Nothing Like You
04 – Down & Out
05 – Sweet Misery
06 – One Way Town
07 – On
08 – The Storm
09 – Cold World Calling

John M. Williams – Vocals, Guitars
Chris Dahlstedt – Bass, Backing Vocals
Mike Fitzgerald – Drums, Backing Vocals

Pre order:
heavenandhellrecords.com/product-page/coming-soon-rat-alley-down-out-hhr148