Radiation Romeos (Frontiers)

Now this is an interesting addition to the Frontiers roster. Radiation Romeos (great name, by the way) is a new project featuring singer Parramore McCarty (from cult US metal heroes Warrior as well as Steve Stevens’ Atomic Playboys). McCarty is joined by Wolfpakk drummer Gereon Homann as well as newcomers Jogi Spittka and Dag Heyne on bass and guitar. Mad Max/Wolfpakk frontman Michael Voss is on board as producer.

The Radiation Romeos self-titled debut is kind of a mixed bag. There are songs that harken back to the classic Warrior sound, songs that are more melodic rock in nature, and some straightforward rockers that sound like Krokus tracks. Unfortunately they don’t seem to fit together very well. Likewise, McCarty’s performance is uneven. He seems most comfortable on the more melodic rocking songs like “Radiation Romeos” and “Like an Arrow,” but on harder songs like “Bad Bad Company” and “Monstertraxx” he’s more abrasive. It doesn’t help that the lyrics are almost painfully cheesy.

I’m generally a fan of McCarty’s work, and I wanted to like this, but Radiation Romeos just isn’t sealing the deal. There are a couple of solid tracks on it, but overall the album falls short of its promise.