Mad Anthony - Party Heaven Hell Whatever!

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The party rock band with the really horrible name of MAD ANTHONY was formed in San Francisco, California in the eighties and according to the information that came with this material the band as well as the record company claim MAD ANTHONY to be one of the best never signed bands from that era and area. Well, “Party Heaven Hell Whatever!” is my first encounter with the band and I can honestly say that I am both pleased and disappointed in the album as I listen to it. I’ll get to why that is a little bit later.

“Party Heaven Hell Whatever!” is the debut full length album. First question I asked myself is whether I can justify never having heard of MAD ANTHONY before. If they were around since the eighties, surely some demos must have made it my way, as a lot of Bay Area music did. And if they were that good, why weren’t they picked up before? Again, I am in two different minds. Yes, I could have overlooked these guys as there are not that many party metal bands that have piqued my interest over the years. No, I wouldn’t have discarded them right away, because the mix of early MÖTLEY CRÜE and VAN HALEN is very enticing, extremely addictive. Even more so because I love the first two MÖTLEY CRÜE albums and I simply always have adored VAN HALEN. And yes, that is where MAD ANTHONY is at musically, and it works.

So, generally and musically speaking I am quite pleased. The disappointment lies in the fact that all the songs are in the same category, have the same underlying atmosphere. The variety is too limited, and putting in the obligatory ballad doesn’t change that fact. Plus, the songs are really just not good enough. They miss that extra piece of excitement that their peers could offer. And that is one hell of a part to miss, as that usually gives this kind of party rock that extra bit of juice. Also, once you’ve listened to the full album and you turn it off, you’ll forget all about it. And that’s a real pity, as I do feel that if MAD ANTHONY would make a proper effort, they’d be able to come up with good songs. They use all the right ingredients, but not in the right amounts. So now they know what they need to work on.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 6
Memorability: 4
Production: 7