WHITE SKULL
Public Glory, Secret Agony
Radiation Records
http://users.iol.it/white_skull/

Italy's White Skull has got to be one of the most unabashedly uncool bands to have ever existed, so why does their music rock so hard?  I know classic metal is gone with the wind, but these guys and girl make me want to get out my jean jacket and go "short in front and long in back" with my next haircut. Songs about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire don't hold much weight with the post-modern crowd, but who cares when there's so much enthusiasm and energy behind it. That's right, I'm talking about non-stop double bass drumbeats, guitar solos based on classical progressions, big chanted choruses, fantasy album art complete with a half-naked woman and skeletons, and a female singer that is definitely not from Venus.

Just a few notes into the wicked riff from "In Caesar We Trust" and you know you're in for some fun. Lead singer Sister Frederica cops Warlock's babilicious Doro Pesch a little sometimes, but she's got an attitude all of her own. Italian stallion Tony Fonto plays guitar like a superhero and drummer Alesandro Montiero keeps the beat with both feet on the pedals. "Mangler" has the album's best solo section with syncopated rhythms and a soccer stadium chorus. "Cleopathra" creates a melody that's both Egyptian-influenced and hummable, while "Time For Glory" ends the album in suitably epic style. by Mike Huberty