Reviews

At first glance it would be easy to lambaste Lynch for crossing over into "sellout" territory with his latest metal/rap/groove/funk heavy entry into the prevailing MTV market.

But to examine this latest incarnation of Lynch Mob, there's more to it than originally meets the ear. Yes they're all that almost to a fault but what was the alternative?

To go back to what Lynch Mob was during the "Sacred Groove" days would have been synonymous to committing commercial suicide.

This album has a good chance for success because Lynch intentionally stepped away from his past in recognizing there was little chance at making a run in the future and in so doing enlisted the aid of a band of hungry unknowns to round out what should prove to be a more marketable commodity under what today is an undoubtedly more marketable name.

With Dokken a distant memory, and the better for the two parties choosing their own separate paths, Lynch's trademark guitar work presents itself in a different manner more consistent with the music at hand rather than the stand alone presence it once was. The songs take a left turn emotionally to the usually predictable and formulaic rock and roll structure and are a welcome calling to fans influenced to the flood of styles that continue to flow under the same roof.

But to credit him for remaining fresh in the wake of many others failed attempts at reestablishing the traditional 80's rock sound would not be entirely correct as this has been done before.

But perhaps it is because he's something of a guitar rock icon that lends to the latest Lynch Mob appeal. "Smoke This" has a lot of balls and takes a lot of chances especially since Lynch runs the risk of total alienation to an established past but the rewards of moving forward absolutely justify his future intent. And at the very least, if things don't work out as planned, the four of them could always get together and write a film based on the almost ridiculously unlikely events that led to their meeting.

Released by Koch International.

Review by Vinnie Apicella.