Stepfather Fred - Dummies, Dolls & Masters

I don’t know quite what I was expecting from the third studio album from this Bavarian-based quartet. I hadn’t heard the others, and this has to be one of the worst band names I have ever come across, but I put it on and was pretty quickly blown away by what I was hearing. There is just one thing wrong with these guys, the name, so put that to one side and then listen to some blues based heavy metal that owes more than a little to WASP. I can guarantee that you will have the same reaction as I did, namely my jaw was hanging open and I kept asking myself how can a band with such a really poor pub rock name produce music this professional and just so damn enjoyable? Released last June, here is a band that at the time had played more than 250 gigs, and it shows. They are tight, heavy, and having a blast. They describe their sound as heavy alternative rock, and I can see why as they can move easily from WASP to Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Pantera and then into more areas of American metal and rock, with Jane’s Addiction another obvious influence. These guys are certainly worth checking out. For more details visit the label or www.stepfather-fred.de