Mad Margritt: ‘Love, Hate And Deception’

mad-margritt-album-coverMAD MARGRITT
LOVE, HATE AND DECEPTION
Released on September 16, 2016 (Perris Records)

Review:
Instantly likeable — that is a nutshell the best way to describe Mad Magritt‘s new album Love, Hate And Deception. If you are longing for some classic ’80s era tunes with an updated fresh sound, Mad Margritt are just what the doctor ordered for you! I’ve known of the name Mad Margritt for some time given that my predecessor Skid covered them regularly on Sleaze Roxx since 2005 but this was the first time that I really listened to them. All I can say is “Wow!” It’s like finding a treasure right in your own backyard. You didn’t know it was there but upon reflection, you wonder how come it took so long to find this treasure that was right underneath your nose the whole time.

Mad Margritt simply provide some easily enjoyable hard rocking tunes. The tandem of singer Eddie Smith and guitarist Mark Cook have come up with some guitar heavy tunes, which are highlighted by or feature the very strong vocals of Mr. Smith. Drummer Tod Williford and bassist Matt Aebi provide the rock solid foundation for Cook and Smith to really shine — and shine, they certainly do. The best tracks are the first single “Liar,” the riff based “Never Enough” and the album closer “Bad Obsession” which has one memorable guitar solo.

The one knock that I have for Love, Hate And Deception is that there are not one, but two ballads (“Broken” and “It’s Time I Told You Goodbye”), which I find breaks the momentum of an otherwise rocking album. Throw in that there are only nine songs and one of them is an instrumental (the very good “Into The Light”) and the two ballads, which are the two weakest songs on the record, take away more than add to the overall feel of the album. Anyone who has read some of my past reviews will know that I am not a big fan of ballads and certainly adhere to Airbourne‘s mantra on their latest album Breakin’ Outta Hell: “No bullshit, no ballads.”

In fact, had Mad Margritt left those two ballads off Love, Hate And Deception, I’d have to consider it as a contender for album of the year. That being said, “Broken” and “It’s Time I Told You Goodbye” aren’t bad tunes but don’t measure up quality wise to the other tracks on Love, Hate And Deception. Overall, Mad Margritt hit the nail on the head with Love, Hate And Deception. This is once again another fine release from Perris Records and definitely one band that I really look forward to discovering the rest of its discography!

Track List:
01. Liar
02. The One You Love To Hate
03. Take Your Best Shot
04. Broken
05. Never Enough
06. I’m Over You
07. Into The Light
08. It’s Time I Told You Goodbye
09. Bad Obsession

Band Members:
Eddie Smith – vocals
Mark Cook – guitar
Matt Aebi – bass
Tod Williford – drums

Production:
Produced by Eddie Smith and Mark Cook
Engineered and mastered by Mark Cook

Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook

Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, October 2016

Mad Margritt‘s “Liar” video:

Mad Margritt- Liar

The first video from the Mad Margritt cd LOVE, HATE AND DECEPTION (2016 Perris Records)www.madmargritt.com