Generation Wild

Generation Wild is the third album, binding sleazy rock 'n' roll drive, catchy choruses and slightly shadowed melody. Released in April 2010, it's the first with Simon Cruz as singer. Despite being on their third singer in three years, the band didn't buckle at all. It holds an '80s-style flash while the guitars are modern and thick, and roughness and wistfulness coexist in the songs. The shadows of Skid Row and Mötley Crüe lie heavy, and Def Leppard-style thick choruses land well. The appeal is melodic poignancy and riff weight that don't stop at a party feel. From the short intro “442” it runs straight into “Armageddon” and “So Alive,” and the density never drops through the ballad “Save Her,” “Down with the Dust,” “Chemical” and “Beautiful Pain.” It reached No. 3 at home, the band's highest placing. The title track's video was banned by MTV in Sweden over explicit imagery. That year they opened for Ozzy Osbourne and stood before 50,000 at a Brazilian festival. An international edition followed on Frontiers the next year — a signature record.