THE LUCKY BASTARDZ deal out harsh, aggressive rock, and that is pretty much it. Hailing from Alessandria Italy, their debut "Hated for Who We Are," is simply a collection of blood curdling metal tracks. Even though their first album is brash, ultimately, it failed to blow my mind, but it may very well succeed in blowing up your speakers. While listening to these fiery tunes, I kept thinking, "am I getting too old for this shit?"

Anyone who argues that a front man is not an important part of a rock band is out of their mind. The voice of a band's lead singer impacts their entire sound, and in the BASTARDZ case, Geppo's jugular voice is very distinct. By the middle of the album, I found his hoarse voice was a challenge to listen to and detracted from the awesome metal backing him up. Although not nearly as versatile, Geppo's voice sounded like a blend of Jaz Coleman of KILLING JOKE and Lemmy from MOTORHEAD. In the adrenaline-fest "Devil Cum," aside from the chorus, I had a difficult time understanding the lyrics. Relief came when the rest of the band joined in to sing. Someone get this man a throat lozenge!

"At What Time - Does My Breath Stop" slows down the pace as the band attempts to showcase another side of what their capable of. I was hoping for more than just skull crushing. Bringing down the pace proved to be effective in the context of an album that isn't very diverse. This track would've left more of an impression if it didn't turn into a typical screamer. After a mellow opening that hinted at a much needed introspective respite, Geppo inevitably goes right back into his signature roaring. Perhaps he really is so filled with aggression that he couldn't perform a whole song without his voice bursting into scorching growls? Don't be surprised if that becomes an SNL sketch. I could see it now: Geppo, the eternally screaming lead singer belts out the children's classic "On Top of Spaghetti."

The band sounds like they are having a lot of fun on the rambunctious and bouncy "I'm a Rocker- Don't Blame Me." At first, I thought it might have been a mash up of THE LUCKY BASTARDZ and THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA. It's a subtle influence that you may not even notice unless you like to do the jitterbug to your metal music. If at this point in the review you think I'm just making random music connections, wait, it actually gets weirder. If you take away Geppo's vocals and concentrate only on the music in this track, you'll almost hear a Roth era VH song. If that's sounds like too much of a stretch, then in a similar fashion the rest of the song pans out as if Lemmy were performing a super heavy version of LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S "Call Me the Breeze." You'll either think that's ridiculously cool or completely terrible.

If you have long hair and you like to whirl your head around so your hair looks like a spinning progress wheel on a Mac, "Rotten Pussy," is the perfect song to do it to. You could easily hear ROB ZOMBIE performing a track like this, not only because of its surging rhythm, but also its subject matter. I feel bad that one of the guys in LUCKY BASTARDZ must have had a truly disgusting experience with a groupie to have been inspired to write a song about a girl’s polluted nether region. This song has two things going for it, it made me head bang and giggle as well.

The rest of the tracks are decent, but never seem to hit the peak I was hoping for. Mark pummels the drums on "Captain Highway," while Paco shreds his guitar solo on "Flame Rock and Roll." There's some devilish grooves by Evan L.A on "Evil's Bride" and "Another lbz nite" is an acoustic track bearing an ominous, almost NICK CAVE tone to it. Finally, Geppo's vocal onslaught is best showcased in what could be their trademark song, the furious "Reborn Again."

THE LUCKY BASTARDZ can dish it out, but they aren't breaking any new ground here. Their chaotic debut offers too much of the same, and the tracks fail stand out on their own. One thing is for sure, it will tear your speakers a new one. It could be that I am too old, or this music actually is too loud, but you may find that you enjoy Geppo's intense, guttural vocals, regardless of the fact that they are often indecipherable.

Within the first few seconds of listening, you'll notice a prominent MOTORHEAD style on "Hated for Who We Are". Obviously that's not a bad thing if you are into loud, energetic moshfests, but if they plan on releasing a follow up album, these LUCKY BASTARDZ need to rely on more than just that ace up their sleeve.