| Musical Style: Hard Rock | Produced By: Roger Rose |
| Record Label: Frontline / Retroactive | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 1991 / 2024 | Artist Website: Mad At The World |
| Tracks: 10 | Rating: 80% |
| Running Time: 36:43 |
Mad At The World (MATW) wears the badge of a modern/alternative rock band, but it also rocks heavily enough to pass for hard rock meets straightforward heavy metal. The Southern California based acts earlier efforts mirrored the former, noting Frontline Records 1987 debut Mad At The World and sophomore effort Flowers In The Rain (also Frontline) from 1988. Beginning with Alarma Records 1990 third album Seasons Of Love, however, MATW reinvented itself from standpoint of latter and quite successfully at that, referencing the 80% Angelic Warlord review to the November of 2024 Retroactive Records re-issue to Seasons Of Love. We think every bit highly of 1991 Alarma follow up release Boomerang to also see November of 2024 Retroactive re-issue.
MATW traces to 1987 when it was founded by brothers Roger (lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, synthesizer and drum programming & percussion) and Randy (lead vocals, drum programming & percussion) Rose, whom were joined by Mike Pendleton (guitars & percussion) on Mad At The World and Flowers In The Rain. To help the group realize a heavier sound, the trio recruited Brent Gordon (lead & rhythm guitar) for Seasons Of Love and Boomerang in addition to equally hard rocking 1992 Frontline Records fifth album Through The Forest (2018 Retroactive re-issue).
Similar to Seasons Of Love, Boomerang went out of print and turned into a hard to find collectors item. Hence, the Retroactive re-issue on CD (300 copies) and vinyl (200). Upgraded re-mastering attributes to Rob Colwell (Bombworks Sound) and multi page mini booklet with easy to ready lyrics and liner notes to Scott Waters (No Life Til Metal Graphics).
Album opens to two and half-minute energy burst “House Of Sin”. With Roger Rose’s modern tinged classic tenor voice leading the way, the song surges its span to flashes of unceasing energy and all the unvarying hooks you could ask. In my Seasons Of Love review, I referenced comparison to groove rockers Lordchain and such is the case here. Lyric snippet:
Yeah, my house payment got so high
I couldn’t make ends meet
I thought I’d find myself living in the street
And then this house builder said
‘We’ve got an offer from the boss.
He’s got a mansion bought and paid for,
And we’ll trade it for your little house
Straight across the street.
So now I don’t have to live in the house of sin no more
With short drum solo to start, ensuing cut “If You Listen” powers forward in gradually building incentive as razor edged guitars impel in and out of the mix. The metal burnished catalyst rising to the surface accents a darker metal feel akin to Bloodgood 1989 fourth album Out Of The Darkness. I cannot say enough good things about Gordon’s flashy lead guitar work.
Groove laden modern rocker “Back To You” heightens its length from Pendelton’s dutiful bass line. An elevated melody distinguishes all the same, as does a moderate guitar mix found in manner in which the song does not hit quite hard as some here with the feel hard rock as opposed to metal. The smooth tincture to vocals coincides with the sleek surroundings. Lyric snippet:
Down on his knees to pray
He didn’t know really what to say
But he knew things would be different now
Because he had the faith
And now he’s travelling on a different road
With a peace that he never knew
But if he never had the faith to try
He’s wonder why I say to you
And I know it’s true
He knows it’s true
The faith you have comes back to you
“Don’t Give Up” is first track fronted by Randy Rose, whom brings a gritty but soulful mid-range style not unlike Glenn Danzig. Hence, manner in which his doom metal and stoner rock Intense Records solo albums Sacrificium (1991) and Healing (1993) receive musical comparison to Danzig. Musically, “Don’t Give Up” draws upon similar musical territory, referencing its metal guitar tendencies - it features by far the catchiest riffs to Boomerang - and enterprising momentum of a mallet like variety.
In my Seasons Of Love review, I extolled the MATW ability to compose choice acoustic material, pointing to albums title track and “The Love That Never Fades”. “Ballad Of Adam And Eve” is of similar form and quality, resonating of lustrous vocal melodies and glistening keyboards as ethereal acoustic weavings and drifting melody serve to pull in with repeat play. Lyric snippet:
In the sadness or the laughter
Into the darkness or the day
The two of them became as one
And love would guide the way
Never leaving, never thinking twice
About a life for them apart
They were joined together
By the love inside their hearts
And that’s the way that love began
And that’s the way love was meant to be
Second Randy Rose fronted track “Sunday” rates with albums heaviest and finest. It starts slow and leisurely to reticent bass only to explode at once to full-blown guitars, attacking as power metal style riffs prevail in swarthy fashion (for the inciting verse sections) but also enticing as vanquishing rhythm guitar pulses in (validating the catchy refrain). An old school metal vibe prevails accordingly.
A melodic hard rock bearing ensues with “Draggin’ The Chains”. It weaves its span between occasions to see guitar in an at ease position in the mix, soothing and delicate but convincing all the same, and others in which it bursts to full on energy in unflinching fashion. All the while, a deep-rooted melody serves to draw in at once. Lyric snippet:
And then the seasons change
It brings a new tomorrow
As it re-arranges into pain and sorrow
I’m searchin’ now, looking for a
Man called Jesus, I need a helping hand
God, you gotta hear me
Do you understand
Can you love and heal me like I think you can
All I know is now that I need You
“All These Questions” takes a similar heading but with an added modern bent. I find the song to be good (melody is solid) but also not my cup of tea, specifying manner in which the modern aspects are to fault in that I wish guitars hit with a bit more hard rock authority. Which leads to my lone complaint regarding Boomerang: it could use a couple more heavy hitting cuts along lines of “If You Listen” and “Sunday”.
“Isn’t Sex A Wonderful Thing” of the controversial title is really not that controversial, at least according to Roger Rose (quoting from an interview back in the day): "In the song I talk about the bad side of sex as it's been misused in our world, and in the last verse I go back to the idea that it's given by God - sex is a wonderful thing if it follows God's rules - which is purity before marriage, fidelity after marriage - where sex gets God's blessing." 1
Musically, it proves another moderate melodic hard rock piece with a modern edge, floating to Pendleton’s jazzy bass over outlying rhythm guitar but resonating of the demonstrative in line with the songs provoking subject matter. Standing out is the extended run of burning lead guitar. Lyric snippet:
Does anybody care about their purity?
And is anybody sure what gender they should be?
And does anybody mind that God’s been left behind?
And here we are today
Where not too many people can
Honestly say…
Hey, isn’t sex a wonderful thing?
Seems like the human race can ruin anything
Now, isn’t sex a wonderful thing?
As its title implies, “No More Innocence (Reprise)” is a reprise of the same song originally appearing on Mad At The World. Of course, the group redid it with the techno keyboards and dance nuances supplanted by hard rock guitars and heavier set drums. The shouted backing vocals adorning the refrain help to up energy exponentially. Needless to say I much rather prefer the ‘reprise’ as opposed to the original version.
Boomerang proves another solid at times hard rocking and others modern tinged MATW album. I credit the group for extending its boundaries outside the ‘techno rock’ to the first two albums and exploring an overall heavier sound. If given choice, I prefer Seasons Of Love slightly with its heavier basis in comparison. That said, in no way am I implying Boomerang lacks merit - I value it equally from an artistic standpoint - but rather I wish it included a few more hard rock to metal based pieces. Still, if a fan of MATW or hard rock with a modern edge, I recommend making the Retroactive re-issue to both albums a necessary purchase.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: “House Of Sin” (2:34), “If You Listen” (3:19), “Back To You” (3:22), “Don’t Give Up” (3:09), “Ballad Of Adam & Eve” (3:34), “Sunday” (3:08), “Draggin’ The Chains” (4:12), “All These Questions” (4:32), “Isn’t Sex A Wonderful Thing” (4:48), “No More Innocence (Reprise)” (4:03)
Musicians
Roger Rose - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Brent Gordon - Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Mike Pendleton - Bass
Randy Rose - Drums & Lead Vocals
References
1. “Mad At Sex?”. Mad At The World. Retrieved 2024-01-12
