Metal Rendez-Vous

Heavy on the cheese, Krokus' Metal Rendez-Vous is a fairly enjoyable record, though more than a little silly. The butt of jokes even within the mostly irony-free metal world, Krokus were major poseurs jumping from prog rock to glam metal in timely fashion as trends changed in the late '70s. They eventually stuck with the glam metal thing, milking it for all it was worth, and were quite successful. This record catches them with a little bit of AC/DC-style swagger and plenty of wanky guitar solos. The song "Tokyo Nights" for some reason features a reggae beat halfway through. The album has other surprises, like the way over-the-top power ballad "Streamer," which is incredibly ridiculous and dated. But Metal Rendez-Vous definitely has some kitsch value and, like Spinal Tap, is occasionally very funny, though in Krokus' case, it is definitely an unconscious thing. Despite that, they do know how to rock and can play their instruments better than your average poodle-haired metal dudes. ~ Adam Bregman