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BEASTO BLANCO
Beasto Blanco
Rat Pak Records

No matter how vast one’s knowledge of the 50 year history of the work of shock rock icon Alice Cooper can be claimed, one can’t exclude the contributions of his current bassist Chuck Garric both within Alice’s lineup as well as his own band, BEASTO BLANCO. Since forming the band - named after Chuck’s dog - back in 2010, BEASTO BLANCO have developed a steady following through their debut album Live Fast Die Loud, released in 2013 and incorporated much of the dark mystique of Cooper’s persona along with other influences such as WHITE ZOMBIE and MOTORHEAD forging out the sound. Alice’s daughter Calico seemed to be convinced enough about BEASTO BLANCO’s legitimacy to join the band prior to the recording of their debut album. Now, alongside guitarist Chris Latham, bassist Jan LeGrow and drummer Tim Husung, both Chuck (who plays rhythm guitar as well as sings) and Calico have followed up the BEAST's debut with their sophomore self-titled album - a sonic collage of live, raw rock ‘n roll power stemming from their collective musical influences and own experiences with some stellar production work courtesy of Ryan Greene (Alice Cooper, Mr. Big, Lita Ford).

With that said, let’s be honest about the album: Its sound is well-rooted in its influences, with Chuck’s vocals easily being a dead ringer for Mr. El Sexorcisto himself. The opening track “Buried Angels” is definite proof of this though its catchy hooks and riffs are essentially all their own. BEASTO BLANCO eventually find their proper voice on “Carcosa” with its neat twin riffing intro leading into its melodic chorus. “Dark Matter” also stands out for its slow, trippy PINK FLOYD-like vibe. And “Machine Girl” allows for Calico to exercise her gritty yet powerful vocals and quick rhyming skills though it’s her pitch-perfect version of Dad’s classic “Feed My Frankenstein” that showcases her singing abilities in a greater light. Small wonder that this new version is a regular staple on Alice’s own radio show which is syndicated across 100 stations worldwide.

Calico Cooper promised that this album had the effect of “a baseball bat to the chest that you want more of” and it’s made good on that honor. Hopefully the hits keep coming for BEASTO BLANCO on this disc in 2017 and onward.

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4.5 Out Of 5.0

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