Vince Neil ruled the 80s. He is recognized, probably second only to David Lee Roth, as the voice of 80s hard rock and metal. As the lead singer of Motley Crue, Neil scored six chart-topping, platinum albums, from 1981 to 1991. During the Crue's heyday, their songs dominated MTV and radio. With massive World-wide tours, the Crue conquered the globe. But at the dawn of the 90s, trouble began.
1992 saw the fall of 80s style hard rock, the rise of grunge/alt. rock, and the dismissal of Vince from the Crue.
Not dismayed from his firing (although the Crue maintains that he quit), Neil spent most of the 90s as a solo artist.
80s rockers in the 90s responded to the grunge/alt revolution differently. Some bands (Motley Crue, Warrant) sought to update their sound to fit in with the current trends. While others bands (Dokken, Slaughter) chose to stick to the pop-metal formula of yore. Neil chose the latter path.
Without missing a beat, Neil started a new band with former Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, Dave Marshall (guitar), Vikki Fox (Drums), and Robbie Crane (bass). Their debut album, "Exposed" was released in 1993. "Exposed" lived in a vacuum, completely unaware of the changes that had taken place in rock and was a complete throw-back to 80s pop-metal. While the album, no doubt, delighted fans nostalgic for old-school metal, it failed to make a major impact. Within a year Stevens had returned to Billy Idol and Marshall was gone as well.
For his new band, Vince found Brent Woods to play lead, and retained the "Exposed" rhythm section of Foxx and Crane.
"Exposed" had acted as though the grunge/alt rock movement had never even occurred. For his second solo outing, Neil decided to chance his luck with a different approach. With the Dust Brothers (The Beastie Boys) producing, "Carved in Stone," embraced a new 90s sound. Although it is most definitely a rock album, "Carved in Stone" has elements of hip-hop, and the sound and tone are distinctly dark. "Carved in Stone" is the darkest album Neil had made since the Crue's classic "Shout at the Devil" (1983).
Although "Exposed" had tremendous instrumental firepower, the song-writing was lacking and thus the album was not up-to-par with classic Crue. Fortunately, this is not a problem for the follow-up. Compared to "Exposed," "Carved in Stone" is better written, with catchier hooks and grooves. The lyrics had also improved and had considerably more substance. While "Exposed" was a fun retro album (with amazing guitar work), it was ultimately, a fluff piece. "Carved in Stone" is darker, edgier, leaner, and meaner.
While "Carved in Stone" certainly has a dark 90s sound/vibe, the songs are also highly melodic with good song along choruses. It's not as though Neil completely abandoned his roots and tried to sound trendy, i.e., Tommy Lee's "Methods of Mayhem" (1999). What he did is update his sound for a new, contemporary audience. Unfortunately, few cared.
The album opens up strong with the mid-tempo, grinding "Breakin' in the Gun," told from the perspective of its sadistic narrator. "The Crawl" could have been a hit, as it has the perfect blend of an 80s sing-along chorus, and a 90s dark, brooding theme. "One Way" is one of the more hip-hop sounding songs on the disc, although it is rocking enough to please most old-school Crue-heads. The haunting "Black Promises" has a strong melody and could also have been a contender to be used as a single. "Skylar's Song," written for Vince Neil's dying daughter, is one of the most beautifully written heartfelt songs you will ever hear. The melodic "Make U Feel" and the angry, urgent "Writing on the Wall" are effective and keep up the momentum. The lethargic "Find a Dream," and the hopeless "One Less Mouth to Feed" are good, if not the most memorable songs. The album comes back in full force with the hopeless but beautiful mini-epic, "The Rift."
"Carved in Stone" was actually ahead of its time. It might have actually been a big hit, had it been released only a few years later, at the height of Nu-Metal. It would have been easy to imagine hearing these songs along side the likes of Kid Rock, KORN, and Limp Bizkit. Only Neil's album was far more melodic, with actual guitar solos that didn't sound like the inside of a meat-grinder.
"Carved in Stone" is most comparable to Motley Crue's "Generation Swine,"(1997) which was released two years later (after Neil had rejoined the group). Both "Carved in Stone" and "Generation Swine" see an 80s artist update their sound for a 90s audience. But "Generation Swine" sounds contrived and forced, whereas "Carved in Stone" sounds genuinely dark and edgy.
It's a shame that more people didn't check out "Carved in Stone" when it was first released, because it's a really cool album. While it isn't quite as good as "Too Fast for Love" (1982) or "Shout at the Devil," (1983), it's as good as just about anything else Vince did with the Crue. If you're a Crue fan and missed "Carved in Stone" the first time around, try giving it a spin.
An overlooked treasure
Alternative Rock???????
12 tracks
