Eagles of Death Metal

Over the course of two prior albums, Eagles of Death metal have more or less been a shits and giggle hangout for Josh "Babyduck" Homme and his buddy Jesse “Boots Electric.”   With cornball nicknames and beer commercial 123 rock,  the due have set them up for more laughs than praises, including Axl Rose once hailing them as the “pigeons of shit metal” on a prior tour.

The play on word jock humor of their album title “Heart On,” shows H & H's hormones have chilled little, as this third collection is another semi hard-on of fuzz drenched riffs.  The first track “Wannabe in L.A.” muddles in clichés, “ I came to LA to make some rock and roll/along the way I had to sell my soul,” but no one has ever bowed to Homme/Hughes for their fine words. “I Used to Couldn’t Dance) Tight Pants,” would fit in on any Queens of the Stone Age album with its retro stoner groove.  The slinky “High Voltage” is Heart-On’s dead ringer- a future strip tease anthem, stuffed with sweet sexy rhythms.  There’s some sleepy 70’s California folk in “Now I’m A Fool” and “Pussy Prancin,” making this Eagles sound more like the Eagles.  Homme and Hughes can’t be raunchy death birds all the time, and you can’t take Heart-On too seriously either.

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