If you miss the 80's hard rock sound, man do I have a band for you! Based out of Huntsville, Loaded Dice is blues-based rock quartet with a metal edge. The band is led by fiery lead vocalist Roland Edger, whose gritty style powers the group's loud anthems as well as their more understated tunes. The rest of the band includes riffmaster Chris Cook on lead and slide guitar, Dan Evans on bass, and Dahn Micheals on drums. This trio also does an excellent job on the backing vocals, prevalent here due to the gang-style choruses often employed. Loaded Dice has been featured in magazines such as Slam, Hit Parader, Metal Edge, and Meltdown. The band appeared on the Brother Cane tribute album (which I reviewed last month for The Buzz), and they have also been active contributors to causes such as the Marine Corps' "Toys For Tots" drive. Loaded Dice's first official CD, entitled "Back In The Alley", was released in 2000. It contains eleven blues-drenched tracks of 80's metal mayhem, plus a video for the title track.

The first cut is called "Infatuation", and no, it's not a Rod Stewart retread. Instead, it's a
foot-stompin', head-bangin' metal battlecry. The main riff rocks, as does the addictive gang-vocal chorus: "Wanna be your lover, wanna be your friend!" Next is "No Easy Way", which, like its predecessor, relies on a blues-metal riff and a shout-a-long gang chorus. The lyrics are okay but nothing special, throwing out clichés such as "living in the house of pain". Still, it's a solid, fun tune. "Preacherman" takes a bit of a belated swipe (even for its time) at televangelists. It has a slow, bluesy intro, the requisite gang-vocal chorus, a cool guitar solo in the middle, and a nicely subdued ending. The fourth track is "After Midnight", which relies on a ZZ Top-like riff. The chorus is nothing spectacular, and the lyrics contain goofy clichés like "we're ready to rock so you people can roll". "Down For The Count" is a slower song with lyrics about sex ("fingers scratch down my back"), but again the chorus seems lacking. Yet, in the ensuing title track, the shouted chorus is a strength. With a funky bass line, hard-charging riffs (reminiscent of the 90's band Sister Whiskey), and the aforementioned chorus, Loaded Dice puts it all together in the title track. The seventh cut is called "Ashamed". It starts slow and builds into a killer gang-vocal chorus. Contemplative yet catchy, this is the second-best song on the album. "Gypsy Women", with it's heavy, chugging riffs and killer hook, is also one of the better songs here. Ninth track "Angry" begins with someone reading a quote from the bible. While not the catchiest tune,
it's a decent song and the lyrics are an improvement over previous tracks. "Sick Of It" is a live cut that (oddly) sounds a bit like an old Stone Temple Pilots outtake, and final song "Backstage Blues" is almost country-ish in its blues-iness. Finally, there is the video to "Back In The Alley", which features both footage of the band playing and images of a drunk man in an alley (to go with the song's theme). For a low-budget production, this video looks very cool.

Despite the lyrical clichés, this is a fun album to listen to. The vocals are strong, the riffs are sturdy, and (most of) the hooks are solid gold. Other than saying it's good-time 80's metal, I know of no specific comparisons for Loaded Dice's sound. I do know that if you want to hear that style of music done well, you should pick up a copy of this album. Check out Loaded Dice at www.loaded-dice.com, or buy a copy of this album through The Buzz's Featured CD's section.

 

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