Album Details

• Artist: Ross The Boss
• Album: New Metal Leader
• Label: Candlelight
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2009-04-02

Former Dictators and Manowar guitarist Ross The Boss sure has gotten a lot of mileage out of a few riffs, most of them of 1982 vintage. "New Metal Leader" is a misleading title, since most of these songs would have fit perfectly on MTV alongside of Krokus, Accept and, well, Manowar. Melodic and chunky, these tunes will either suggest a timewarp, cluelessness or good clean fun. Despite the cobwebs on some of these riffs, I'd vote for good clean fun. Rock sounds better with beer, and this set, while it might take 12, certainly fits that bill.

Even without listening to this, you can imagine the subject matter: booze, boasting, battles and the occasional mythological allusion. The best tunes, such as "I Got The Right," "Death & Glory," and "We Will Kill" rock as well as remind you that anthems, even low-brow ones, are in short supply these days. I think that is a good thing, but Ross The Boss will send you back to when they were taken seriously.

"New Metal Leader" is probably an ironic title that metalheads might miss. It is a cool, if inconsequential blast of dated power rock that may get a few air guitarists excited, a few oldsters nostalgic, and set the stage for what must be a rollicking, drunken mess of a live show. Ross The Boss makes rock the old fashioned way, which in his case means slightly watered down 70s rock with a melodic touch perfect for 80s head-bangers.

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