By STEVE MASCORD
THE six-string is screeching a filthy, drawn-out gutter-level refrain. It grooves, tries to sound polished but remains inherently soiled and rude. All of a sudden there’s an evil chuckle, a yelp — a disturbingly
familiar yelp. You struggle to remember as the drums cut in and the song starts. ‘Drink a little beer, maybe get in a fight, ‘ it croons. The guitars crash, the bass cranks and it all comes flooding back to you like the first Freddie Krueger movie.
It’s Angry Anderson.
That’s if you decide to listen to side two (which opens with “Born Survivor”) first and have no idea who the bald bloke with a chipped tooth on the cover— called simply ‘Angry’ — is.
Yep, ol’ shorty himself is back, with his first serious shot at ‘middle white America’ without his seminal boogiers Rose Tattoo.
And you thought this was going to be an album of lurve songs dedicated to moronic Aussie soap stars, huh?! The first thing we can report about Blood From Stone is that there’s not a soppy tear-jerker in sight, but rather plenty of saucy geetar slingin’, compliments of English producer and current LA session darling Michael Slamer.
We can also report that Angry has abandoned the somewhat poppy leanings from his last solo project (officially still 
accredited to the Tatts, though), Beats From A Single Drum. Instead, there’s songs about glory, motorbikes, girls, bars and fights, tempered with the odd social conscience ditty, of course.
There’s hooks, as well! Try “Heaven”, first single “Bound For Glory”, “Wild Boys” — and check out the atmospherics on “Bad Days”.
So why the missing K (for HM readers, missing skull)? Mainly because of the disappointing re-jig of “Born To Be Wild” (a cover of a cover?!), complete with Van Halen-esque sonic embellishments and pitch-perfect, mechanically stupid chorus.
And secondly because of the overtly-slick LA production which leaves some searing axework sounding like outtakes from a Steve Jones or Y&T album. Nah, this ain’t Rose Tattoo, but it ain’t “Suddenly” either.
Take a listen, but you could very well hate it if that’s all you do. Instead, listen a few times, read the lyric sheet, and you may agree that Blood From Stone is as important a musical statement as any Rose Tattoo record.
Even though it’s a predictable conclusion, it has to be said: Angry is back.
Really.
Listen to Blood From Stone on Amazon music
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