The Mugshots are an Italian rock group who state that their influences are primarily Alice Cooper, along with The Stranglers and The Misfits. The quintet from Brescia have already released two albums and several EPs, which is presumably one of the reasons why they were to attract Dick Wagner to be involved as producer. He has certainly assisted with getting a very authentic Alice feel to the band, although this is the side of Alice that is all about controlled melody and hooks as opposed to bombast. What many people still fail to appreciate with Alice Cooper is that over the years the band/singer have produced some stunning albums full of incredible songs. I have never seen Alice in concert, but I have plenty of his albums as I enjoy the music so much. It is this element that Dick has really brought to the fore, with the drums and guitar sound on “Curse The Moon” in particular sounding as if it is straight from ‘Billion Dollar Babies’.
But, these guys are doing much more than just a straight Alice copy and are bringing in elements that are much more progressive in certain aspects, with the result being a controlled melodic rock EP with plenty of piano and twists that is sure to interest a lot of people. It may not fit in with the style of music normally released by this label, but is a damn fine piece of work and I look forward with interest to see if the relationship with Dick will continue.
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