Company Of Wolves (Special Deluxe Collector's Edition)

Its amazing how radically the rock landscape changed between 1990 and 1993. In 1990, many major labels were signing long-haired hard rock and pop-metal bands left and right -- and by 1993, those same labels were dropping such bands left and right, concentrating on alternative rock and looking for the next Nirvana or Pearl Jam. One of the many hard rock outfits that Mercury/PolyGram recorded in 1990 was Company of Wolves, whose self-titled debut album fell through the cracks. Not the least bit innovative, but occasionally catchy, this CD often brings to mind Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. Its a stretch to call Company of Wolves a true heavy metal band -- rockers like "Romance on the Rocks" and "Cant Love Ya, Cant Leave Ya" arent heavy metal in the sense that the music of Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Candlemass or Metallica is heavy metal. Like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, Company of Wolves knows how to combine loud guitars with a heavy doss of pop gloss; the big difference is that those bands did a much better job. The band manages to come up with a catchy hook on occasion, but for the most part, this CD simply lacks the hooks needed for a really effective hard rock session. The album wasnt a big seller, and Company of Wolves was dropped by Mercury/PolyGram. ~ Alex Henderson