The Tung Bandits - The Tung Bandits

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THE TUNG BANDITS were forged in the Steel City of Pittsburgh towards the end of the 1980s and play a brand of melodic hard rock / heavy metal with a sound drawing comparison to DOKKEN, LIZZY BORDEN, LILLIAN AXE, KING KOBRA etc. It all began after a meeting between Dean Miculla and DC Cooper one night at an open jam session staged at a local rock club. Jimmy Wilson and Carmen Capozzi would complete the lineup, making their stage debut on Halloween night of 1990. THE TUNG BANDITS would release one full-length album before disbanding after the departure of DC Cooper, who would later go on front Danish progressive metal band ROYAL HUNT. This 1990 self-titled album is remastered and reissued for the first time on CD as a limited edition of 500 copies worldwide, released via Heaven and Hell Records in June 2021.

First track “Apple Of My Eye” opens the album in a lively manner, the guitar having a little grit in the tone balanced by the layered vocals harmonies adding to the overall melodic feel of the material. “Don’t Turn Away” starts off with a slow prelude featuring a mesmerizing, modulated guitar run, then a stop and a change of gear leads into the up-tempo main section of the song. This track was accompanied by an official music video, “Be Your Fix” and “Look Hard Enough” are both hard driving straight ahead rocking tunes. “The Battle” showcases the fine shredding guitar work of Dean Miculla with multiple lead lines in a more mid paced outing. ”Wicked Blind” is a longer song utilizing a clean intro transitioning to a mid-paced stomper. ”Down In The Dark” has a more lightweight hard rock feel with an extremely catchy singalong chorus. The bass runs of Jimmy Wilson are brought to the fore on “Midnights Gone”, briefly bringing to mind TOOL in places. “Am I Free” follows on in a straighter hard rock template. “Back It Up” finishes off the album with THE TUNG BANDITS again displaying their melodic tendencies on a track that is reminiscent of DOKKEN in style.
In conclusion, THE TUNG BANDITS have delivered a solid album of melodic hard rock / heavy metal. I would have preferred if the backing riff had continued under the solos but that's a minor detraction. The vocals of DC Cooper really do shine throughout the album, showcasing a great singing range alongside the talented guitar work and rhythm section.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 7
Production: 6