Crashdiet – The Savage Playground (2013)

Part glam, part thrash, part progressive, The Savage Playground, Crashdiet’s latest record, is all grand. Highlighting masterpiece guitar solos, sleazy vocals, and good time party lyrics, The Savage Playground is a record that emphasizes fun. And who doesn’t like to have fun?

Opening with a spoken soliloquy reminiscent of Motley Crue’s “…In The Beginning,” The Savage Playground takes hold immediately with glam vocals, sleaze guitars, and a whole lot of hard rocking for the record. After pelting the listener with glam rock for the opener “Change The World,” Crashdiet shifts gear to trash with “Cocaine Cowboys.” This is a turn it up loud and play it real proud party song with a thumping bass beat that goes on for miles.

The guitar work from Martin sweet on this album is exceptional. His solos absolutely shred and add a sophisticated level of depth to the record. Sweet has a great appreciation for scales and solos and applies them at just the right time. His genius stands out on The Savage Playground. The combination of Sweet’s guitar and Simon Cruz’ vocals blend well and bring The Savage Playground to life.

Crashdiet spent a lot of time mixing up their sound for this release. Venturing between glam, sleaze, thrash, progressive, and even a ballad, Crashdiet was not afraid to experiment with different sounds and styles which helped the record stay fresh. It can be disappointing when every song on an album starts to sound the same as the last, but The Savage Playground has none of that. Each track is a new piece that stands out on its own and helps to further cement the versatility of Crashdiet.

If you are looking for a record that rocks hard and is worthy of a few spins this spring while cruising down the highway, or playing air guitar in your basement, give The Savage Playground a try. It’s an album that will get several listens over the course of time. Highly entertaining, heavily rocking, and quite delightful, The Savage Playground is a solid effort from Crashdiet.

Rating: Out of 10