Review CRAZY LIXX ‘Street Lethal’

Not sure how safe the streets of Malmö are these days but it’s mostly not a lethal experience. ‘Street Lethal’ though is the title of a quintet, Crazy Lixx, that comes from the city in south-west Sweden and the only weapons the guys are using are hooks, melodies, and riffs.

On their new album, Crazy Lixx make use of this toolkit in perfection. Melodic hard rock is what the quintet has put on their musical banners with bands like Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and others being a source of inspiration. Not entering new areas, the Swedes rock by their incredible sense for melodies that never drown in the quicksand of commerciality. There is always enough heaviness embedded to make songs like ‘Anthem For America’ to musical treats. This song stands exemplary for the entire album. With strong rocking heartbeat the song is a good-vibe rocker that brings light to the grey autumn days.

As many bands from Sweden, also Crazy Lixx is equipped with qualified musical skills which they use to make tunes like the title track to real anthems. If you like the earlier Dokken, ‘Street Lethal’ is a record you should check out. Another moment that shows the good sense for songwriting and melodies is the closer. ‘Thief in the Night’ is a seven-minute tune, that ends the album in a good fashion. OK, five minutes might have been also enough to tell the story of the ‘Thief in the Night’ and considering the long fade-out of the song, things could have been more spot-on. Still, the song summarizes this record in an entertaining way and leaves you with a good mood.

Another benefit of the album is, that it comes without a cliché-laden ballad. There are moments when Crazy Lixx use some calmer tones, but those are always in the context of a vibrant rock spirit.

‘Street Lethal’ is rocking and powerful longplayer that helps the band to cement their position in the Swedish- and European melodic rock. Come on, let’s rock’n’roll.