DOLL HAZARD – Transatlantic Meltdown (2018)

It’s Canada meets Norway as sleaze merchants Chris Damien Doll (Suicide Bombers) and Sandy Hazard (Dirtbag Republic) get together to unleash DOLL HAZARD on the world (yes I know it sounds like a pre-Christmas warning about dangerous toys but its not) – and their debut album two years in the making titled “Transatlantic Meltdown”.

These kind of projects with musicians based / living at different continents usually generate a certain amount of trepidation before first listen – I mean how often do these team-ups really work?
Well the good news is that this one really does. It has that spark and fire and these certainly ain’t leftovers from Doll / Hazard respective bands either.

It’s here, for those interested in how this collaboration came about, that we refer to the ‘presser’:
The 10 songs here were a collaborative effort written over a 2-month period with Doll handling guitars and bass and Hazard handling drum duties and the two splitting the vocals between them.
The two made a pact to bring only their A-game and create the filthiest slab of plastic that they could muster.
The record was created with complete isolation 4500 miles from one and other.
Regardless of that distance, Doll & Hazard communicated via text and email and still managed to create exactly what they had envisioned.
A front to back kick @ss rock n’ roll so full of attitude it’s splitting at the seams.

Starting out with the sleazy New York Dolls meets Faster Pussycat riff of ‘Cat’s Got Your Tongue’ it’s a stellar start, and the foot’s not off the pedal for a second as we first motor into the threatening punk-infused razor rock of ‘Rock N Roll Prostitute’ which both have that trademark Sandy Hazard / Mike Monroe style phrasing to the fore.
They’re ably backed up by the grittier Chris Damien Doll led ‘Fire and Gasoline’ which if you’re a Hanoi Rocks fan might have you thinking of Nasty Suicide’s Cheap and Nasty.

‘No Valentine Cards’ starts with a nice chugging riff that’s cleaner than most on here and the song itself is full of melody and made to sing-along to. ‘Walk on Water’ ups the pace again with a rock-n-punk inflection before falling back into a glorious sleazy heap they’re two of the most immediate tracks here.
Half way in and we’re cooking nicely…

The title track that follows and marks the half-way point of this album is one of those songs that you swear you’ve heard before, it’s dirty, it’s gritty and it’s exactly why I love this type of music – it sinks its teeth in and won’t let go before ’21 Grams (off my Shoulders)’ adds some more fuel to the fire and a Sunset Strip slant to the mix.

It’s the next track though that might be the most intriguing: ‘Doghouse’ is a rather well-constructed piano-laden ballad with some eloquent and beautifully placed guitars. It’s one of those songs you can’t argue with, a great tune that you feel could have been that ‘huge ballad’ labels used to clamor for back in the day.
The album closes with a couple of tracks that just underline how successful this ‘project’ has been – the undeniably Hanoi-styled ‘You’re in My Head’, and the spaced-out sleaze of ‘Sci-Fi Child’.

Jeez this worked out well – everything on here is worth a repeated listen and there are more than a handful of songs that you’ll be coming back. As it says in the Bio both Doll and Hazard are influenced by Hanoi Rocks, Kiss, early Motley Crue / Guns N’ Roses and all kinds of rowdy hard rock punky rock.

I’d add a dash of New York Dolls and the glam / Sunset Strip feeling of Faster Pussycat to that mix and you have an album made for lovers of not just sleazy rock but also those who like their dirty rock and roll.
Doll Hazard have created one of the best ‘classic sleazy’ albums of the year with the right balance of catchiness, wonderfully simplistic riffs, and that underground ’80s Sunset Strip attitude.
Strongly Recommended

01 – Cat’s Got Your Tongue
02 – Rock N’ Roll Prostitute
03 – Fire & Gasoline
04 – No Valentine Cards
05 – Walk On Water
06 – Transatlantic Meltdown
07 – 21 Grams (Off My Shoulders)
08 – Doghouse
09 – You’re In My Head
10 – Sci-Fi Child

Chris Damien Doll – vocals, guitars, bass
Sandy Hazard – vocals, drums
Roger Salloum – piano on 8

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K31P8W9
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