Another debut album from another new band who have seemingly come out of nowhere? Well, yes and no. Dirty Americans are a new young band and this is their first album, although three quarters of the line-up were in the Workhorse Movement together, all except the drummer. So we do have quite a bit of the same band here on the musical and vocal front. However you would never tell from listening to this album. Workhorse Movement were burdened with the nu-metal tag, and their album Sons of Pioneers certainly had leanings in that direction. But it failed to make much of an impact. Caught in the backlash against so-called nu-metal from a few years ago, the band went under.

Here they have re-emerged with a new stripped down line-up and a stripped down heavy rock sound, infused with psychedelic overtones, and heavy smoke-laden grooves.

Now, according to their press this is the kind of music and sound these musicians were always interested in, but they were forced down the nu-metal road by their record company whilst members of the Workhorse Movement. Whether this is true or whether it's just the right thing to say, considering that movement and your first band has gone tits up, is debatable, but unimportant. It's a new name, so a new band starting with a clean slate.

With artwork that could have come straight from a 1960s Cream album it's obvious what audience Dirty Americans are aiming for - the traditional rocker. And the music is very much in that style, with a fairy dusting of studio trickery giving it a more modern metallic edge. Given the set influences at work here - classic rock, psychedelia and 80s metal - it's not surprising DA closest reference point is Monster Magnet, and some of the tracks could easily sit on either of their last two releases.

The album kicks off with the straight-ahead rocker "No Rest", which will be familiar to some from the recent Classic Rock Magazine CD, and doesn't let up on "Car Crash". Both decent rock songs, with no real surprises. The band get into their stride proper on the third and title track "Strange Generation" which opens with an abrasive riff and a nice train-whistle lead guitar effect. I don't know how its achieved but it sounds excellent. Singer Myron also establishes himself as a powerful and inventive vocalist, and its good to hear a young metal singer with a traditional approach to his art. It's when the band loosen up and relax that they are at their most effective, as evidenced on "Time In Space" and "Dead Man". The first is a mid-paced chugger; in a similar vein to one of Monster Magnets freak ballads. "Dead Man" has a big sinewy riff and a soft verse, with a chorus that nicks U2s "under a blood red sky" line. The middle eight features an excellent eastern scale riff and is followed by a dark distorted solo. One of the highlights of the album, but beaten to best track by "Deep End". With ringing acoustic guitars and a laid back but insistent beat this is a great song. Again the singer excels and the pay off in the chorus "I went off the deep end and I lost my mind, I might do anything to anyone at anytime" is superb. The band's 60s influence is most evident on "Light-Headed", which features a Beatlesque verse and jangly Byrd's style guitar. Best of the full on rockers is "Chico" which has a quite brilliant riff and great Hells Angels road lyrics, and something of Clutch about it. Final track "We Were Young" is another great acoustic song with southern style lead guitar over the top and perfectly rounds off the album.

All in all a pretty decent debut. Not every track is truly memorable, but there are at least half a dozen great songs on here and nothing in anyway bad. With their blend of greasy 60s tinged guitar riffs, traditional vocals and metallic sheen DA should appeal to a pretty wide variety of Metalhead.

DUCK