Fate - Cruisin' For A Bruisin' [Expanded] (Metal Rendezvous) 1988/2001
1. Beneath Da Coconuts (4:36)
2. Love On The Rox (3:35)
3. Knock On Wood (2:59)
4. Lovers (4:15)
5. Dead Boy, Cold Meat (3:27)
6. Babe, You Got A Friend (4:44)
7. Lock You Up (4:26)
8. Cupid Shot Me (3:51)
9. Diamond In The Rough (3:52)
10. Send A Little Money (3:36)
BONUS TRACKS
11. Love On The Rox (3:09)
12. Fallen Angel (4:19)
13. Rip It Up (3:13)
14. Victory (4:23)
15. Danger Zone (3:13)
16. She's Got The Devil Inside (3:53)
17. Downtown Toy (2:44)
18. Do You Want It (3:27)
19. Backdoor Man (2:44)
20. We're Hot (3:00)
After the original demise of Mercyful Fate in the early 80's, guitarist Hank Sherman formed a catchy pop metal band called Fate (Obviously playing off his former band's name.) The band recorded a self-titled album in 1985. Following the release of the band's second album "A Matter of Attitude", Hank split from the band but the remaining members forged ahead and released their third album of catchy pop rockers titled "Cruisin' for a Brusin'".
"Cruisin' For A Bruisin'" is ten songs (well, the reissue is 20 songs) of 1980's pop/hard rock. The band mixes together the smooth pop sounds of Bon Jovi with the hooks of Night Ranger and some of the finesse and sexual vibe of Van Halen. "Dead Boy, Cold Meat" has a huge Van Halen/David Lee Roth vibe. "Diamond in the Rough" is one of the more upbeat and edgier songs on the album, though I hesitate to really call anything heavy. "Babe, You Got a Friend" is a keyboard-drenched, ultra-sappy, ballad. Whether singing ballads or rockers, vocalist Jeff "Lox" Limbo (aka Jens Meinert) is able to deliver the goods. He has a clean, slightly raspy voice with which to deliver the hooky choruses. As with most good 80's rock bands, Fate has some chops as well. New guitarist Jacob Moth (listed as The Mysterious Mr. Moth) does an adequate job of filling Sherman’s shoes. The overall recording quality is a bit more spit-polished than I usually prefer, as I think some of these songs would have been better with a heavier guitar tone and less keys, but overall, it's not so polished that album isn't enjoyable as it is. Despite the absence of Sherman, "Cruisin' for a Bruisin" turned out to be the band's most successful release as it's chock full of catchy hard rock.
The bonus tracks on the 2001 Metal Rendezvous re-issue are Fate's 1986 self-titled album. The band's self-titled album is similar in style to "Cruisin' for a Bruisin'" though the production isn't as good. The songs are mixture of rock and heavy metal with a strong melodic appeal and big pop hooks. Songs like "Rip It Up" are more straight forward heavy metal, not unlike Germany's Sinner or Victory, while "Fallen Angel" falls closer to the AOR sound. Fate did not record any ballads on their self-titled release, which is something that is unusual for a band of this ilk.
Related Collections:
Mercyful Fate