GALACTIC COWBOYS

Galactic Cowboys self-titled debut album was released in 1991. Considering the music it contains I´m pretty surprised that I haven´t been introduced to this album before now. This is the kind of music I would probably have enjoyed greatly in the early nineties.

Galactic Cowboys don´t play progressive metal as I think of that genre. Which means that this is not Dream Theater, Queensrÿche or Fates Warning influenced in any way. The style is rather a mix of primarely traditional heavy metal and hard rock with a few hints to thrash metal. In addition to that, there are a few odd-ball moments here and there that makes this album a bit different from your usual metal album. Those moments are very few though and personally I don´t consider this to be progressive metal.

I hear influences from as different bands as Extreme, Anthrax ( the rare thrashy riffing sounds so much like the grovy thrash riffing that Anthrax is known for), Guns´n´Roses ( just listen to Monty Colvin´s vocals in My School), Waltari, Suicidal Tendencies, Ugly Kid Joe, King´s X and Faith No More. The music is generally very melodic and this is especially due to Monty Colvin´s very melodic vocal lines and his background choirs which by the way are very well done. Some of the songs are pretty good and I´m enjoying I´m Not Amused, My School, Kaptain Krude and the most thrashy song on the album Sea of Tranquility while I´m having a hard time enjoying the suckery Someone for Everyone ( a bit too much like Extreme when they are most commercial and cheesy). Galactic Cowboys is the kind of band that is serious one minute and add odd-ball humour to their music the next and that kind of behaviour is pretty surely and aquired taste. I´m biased about it if I have to be frank. I guess it depends on my mood.

The musicianship is good but the drumming could have been a bit more subtle. It´s way too loud and clumsy in the quiet parts.

The production is exactly the kind of production that I associate with the early nineties and I like it. Again the biggest flaw is the drums though. They sound wrong in the mix somehow ( Maybe too loud).

I´ve listened a lot to this album and I generally enjoy it but it doesn´t really do that much for me. Overall it´s a pretty average album seen with today´s eyes but I´m sure that I would feel differently about it if I had purchased it back then. 3 stars is my rating. Fans of any of the above mentioned bands might get something out of this. I put it on, on occasion but it never gets two spins in a row.