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Released:  1989

Recorded:  1988 – 1989

Genre:  Sleaze Rock, Hard Rock, Hair Metal

Record Label:  Geffen Records

Duration:  38:25

Producers:  Tom Werman

[expand title=”Personnel” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

• David Roach – vocals, percussion
• Chris Gates – lead and rhythm guitar
• Patrick Michael Muzingo -drums and percussion
• Clay Anthony –  bass guitar
• Brian Baker- lead and rhythm guitars [/expand]

[expand title=”Track Listing” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Blooze
2. Hot Rod
3. Simple Man
4. Shot in the Dark
5. Hollywood
6. Life Sentence
7. Long Way Home
8. Can’t Hold Back
9. Texas
10. Hands Off [/expand]

[expand title=”Singles” tripos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Hollywood
2. Simple Man [/expand]

Junkyard’s self-titled debut album will likely freak you out a little. When you first see pictures of the band, you’ll probably notice lots of tattoos, plenty of denim, loads of leather, and shit-kickin’ cowboy boots, all in black of course. Then you’ll hear the opening track and shit a brick the moment you hear David Roach’s howling vocals paired with the high-energy instrumentals. This debut album was produced by legendary producer Tom Werman of Motley Crue, Ted Nugent, and Molly Hatchet fame, which is telling of why the album sounds so damn raunchy! Although Junkyard went largely unnoticed by the general public, it remains a classic sleaze metal album and can actually be purchased brand new from Geffen Records today.

Junkyard (the album) oozes with punk rock infused with southern rock and blues. Lead singer and frontman David Roach moved from Texas to L.A. with friend and guitarist Chris Gates in the mid ’80s. With a bit of searching and plenty of luck, Roach and Gates were able to round out the rest of the quintet with Brian Baker, Clay Anthony, and Patrick Muzingo. With a heavy rotation in the famous clubs and bars of the Sunset Strip, Junkyard received $3,000 to record a few songs which ultimately earned them a signing deal with Geffen Records.

When listening to any of the 10 tracks, David Roach’s whaling vocals take front and center, becoming an instrument of its own. I wouldn’t say that Roach has a wide range of notes, but he excels at the sound he intended to make. It’s gritty, it’s off-key, it’s lacking in discipline, and it’s truly all over the place. That is EXACTLY why he rocks this album from start to finish. His Texas roots lend a hand in the vocalist’s twang but his style leans more towards punk rock. It’s odd that Geffen chose to showcase Junkyard’s softest song in “Simple Man” as opposed to their heavier efforts like “Blooze” or “Life Sentence.” But maybe the song tested well. After all, it is one hell of a song.

Songs such as the single “Simple Man” showcase the band’s perfect execution of blending multiple genres while the mixing of the song keeps the drums heavy and the guitar distortion high. While it might have a bit of a southern melody with the piano and vocals, there’s a dose of punk rock in it to keep it from ever being compared to harder southern rock bands such as Blackfoot, Black Oak Arkansas, or Molly Hatchet. “Hollywood” is a bit faster and heavier with darker overtones and is without a doubt one of the strongest tracks on the album. “See the boy on the corner, he’s only 12 years old. Every night he’s out there doing his best to get his goodies sold” is the lyric that opens the track. Touching on real life issues wasn’t one of Junkyard’s most prominent skills, but they were certainly more than capable.

It doesn’t appear that there is any one theme that ties the songs together as Junkyard is a straightforward, no frills hard rock album. It’s raunchy and edgy with a punky attitude unlike anything around it. But even with no intentional theme throughout the album, one thing is for sure: these fellas like to drink hard. “Blooze” is one of the best tributes to drinking I’ve ever heard. There’s a particular line in the song where Roach says “I’m talkin’ about when ya got 2 bucks left, you don’t want nothin’ to eat, you just gotta keep drinkin.” If that isn’t an excellent ode to getting drunk then I don’t know what is. “Blooze” fits in well with the songs “Hot Rod,” “Life Sentence,” and “Can’t Hold Back” with similar fast-paced guitars and a youthful raunchiness.

“Simple Man” and “Hands Off” are Junkyard’s slowest efforts but are easily some of their strongest. “Hands Off” closes out the album with one of their catchiest tunes to date. The song is about David Roach dating a girl and her cheating on him with his best friend. Doesn’t sound very funny, but the presentation is slightly comical. The piano really makes the song what it is along with Roach’s howling vocals.

Overall, Junkyard’s self-titled debut is an exceptional outing by the 5 man group. Their approach to effortlessly blending blues with punk and hard rock makes for a wildly unique sound. In fact, the entire album sounds like Molly Hatchet banged Motley Crue and had a baby called Junkyard. I know this entire review is about “forgotten hair metal albums,” but Junkyard should NEVER be confused with glam-metal or hair metal. This band got lumped together with other hair metal acts based solely on their long hair and a close proximity to glam metal bands on the Sunset Strip. Either way, Junkyard (the album) has long been forgotten but is worth heavy consideration for fans of hard rock, blues rock, punk rock, and more. It’s unfiltered and dripping with sleaze.

Reviewed by Nerdberry