American Blitzkrieg

After issuing a pair of largely ignored albums in the late '80s/early '90s, Babylon A.D. went their separate ways just as grunge rendered their style passé. Later in the decade, however, the group was back together once more for live shows, and in 2000 finally got around to issuing its third studio effort, American Blitzkrieg. Despite a lot of musical shifts during their hiatus, Babylon A.D. stick to the style that got them this far: a style that sounds like it was directly plucked from 1989. Anthemic hair metal with a tough edge is the name of the game here, especially on such selections as the title track and "Magic Mary," while "The Sky's Falling" takes the aggression down a notch or two — momentarily. Additionally, there are a few tracks that sound remarkably like the style that supergroup Velvet Revolver would embrace a few years down the road, most noticeably on the album-closing "Superstar." Sometimes it takes rock bands a few releases to get back to where they were earlier after an extended period away from the scene. But on American Blitzkrieg, Babylon A.D. pick up exactly where they left off.