HARDWARES

Now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Steven Adler is refocused and rocking hard. Teaming up with vocalist Jacob Bunton (LYNAM, MARS ELECTRIC), bassist Johnny Martin (CHELSEA SMILES) and his old Adler’s Appetite guitarist Lonny Paul, Steven has released a solid 11-song CD produced by former DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson. Chock full of catchy tunes reviving the mid to late ‘80s Los Angeles Sunset Strip scene, and sprinkled with a touch of New York punk attitude, this constitutes an impressive comeback. It must be noted however that Steven does not have any writing credits on Back From The Dead. That being said, he enlisted the help of two high-profile guitarists, namely former GN’R bandmate SLASH who plays on ‘Just Don’t Ask’, and ROB ZOMBIE axe-man JOHN 5 guesting on ‘Good To Be Bad’. First single and video ‘The One That You Hated’ is no nonsense rock ‘n roll. Highly combustible, yet slightly dated raw energy pervades ‘Another Version Of The Truth’ and ‘Own Worst Enemy’, whereas ‘Blown Away’ is the most modern sounding of the bunch. Throughout the album, the lyrics reference Steven’s troubled past: “It started with the liquor, but pills were quicker and so I took enough to die,” “Maybe my mistakes have outshone the sun, but I know I’m not the only one,” and “A few years later this old boy became a cliché, a washed up junkie with a label next to his name,” are but a small sample. Fully recognizing his reckless life, and combining that with new found ambition, results in a bountiful bunch of edgy yet melodic songs with sing along choruses and just the right amount of grit. Welcome back Steven, we missed you.