Despite existing since the eighties Danish hard rockers Pretty Maids are a band that I wasn’t previously familiar with. I’d heard of them but written them off as a glam metal band or hair metal band, if you were born too late and also too lucky to witness the eighties explosion of make-up metal.
Anyone looking for the dirty and raw cerainly won’t find it from this band as there’s a huge production sound that is thrown at the listener from the opening title track. The album could easily be placed in the time in the eighties when Def Leppard and Queensryche became radio fodder. There’s definitely a single that would receive airplay in the ballad “Little Drops of Heaven”. “One World One Truth” crunches harder and veers towards metal, but doesn’t quite reach, with its anthemic and melodic chorus. Both this track and “Cielo Drive” could have fitted comfortably on “Empire” although the vocals are nowhere as near as high reaching as Geoff Tate’s. It comes at night borrows sound effects shamelessly from “Slippery When Wet” period and when the band seem to convince that they are capable of rocking slightly harder, keyboards come in softening proceeding and completely ruin the illusion.
While there’s no denying all the songs here are very well crafted, there’s a lack of any threatening edge due to the radio-friendly production sound. “Pandemonium” may find itself getting repeat plays by those in the hard rock fraternity but those that need their music harder and heavier will want to pass this one by.
3/5
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