Reviewed by Jim Coursey
Released: October 1981 Picture Heavy Metal Ears Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Highlights: Heavy Metal Ears Spend The Night With You I'm Just A Simple Man “We're going to change the world, a revolution, every day heavy metal at school, it’ll be a world of destruction, we're gonna lock up the disco fools.” Move over Lipps Inc, move over Chic – there’s a new sheriff in town and he is declaring war on you with a heavy Dutch accent and a clunky lyric sheet. I mean, how much sillier does it get than “Spend the Night With You”? “I'm looking for a girl and I would say to her, would you like to play with me? We're going to drink a bit and if you want to, you can spend the night with me. I want to have it, I think I'll do it now. But after all my thoughts, I think I'd better spend the night with you. Ain't got no money, but after all, it's the best thing I can do. I want to have it, I think I'll do it now.” Words that just tumble off the page with all the grace of a pile of bricks. Didn’t he ever learn not to pepper his writing with filler like “I think?” And those lyrics were from the best tracks on the album. Thankfully the music is brisk, chugging and taut, with an economical approach to fills and guitar solos that keeps the listener’s focus where it needs to be. Maybe it’s not particularly distinct from their NWOBHM contemporaries, but the recording captures the energy well such that it’s hard not to move along with it. Apparently this is Picture’s second album, and they churned out five more before hanging it up in the late 80s. I would assume it is worth a listen for fans of the genre, and won’t be any more repellant to non-fans than other metal of the era. Bonus highlight: If you have a sense of humor about metal (and as a non-fan, I confess I do), the call and response vibrato fest at the 3:00 mark of “Nighttiger” is worth a chuckle.
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