The premise of reviving glam rock is enough to make any self-respecting member of a post-modern society cringe in chagrin (and in painful memory of their exuberance over cutting holes in jeans and going ape at Warrant concerts), but Squad Five-0 have always found a way to be the exception to the stereotype. Let's reflect. While ska and punk anthems were becoming more and more reviled, Squad was still using elements of both to build respect and adoration. And if we are to really delve into the growing phenomenon that is Squad Five-0, we will have to come to the conclusion that the saying, "everything is attitude," is the real crux here. The reason Squad can pretty much play whatever kind of music they want, no matter how cheezy the style alone may be considered, is because they seethe with endearing attitude and infectious energy. It's their strange mixture of dead seriousness and sarcasm – a sarcasm that may not actually be there, but still manifests itself – that aids the listener or viewer in enthusiastically accepting whatever kind of rock is coming at them. That's the bottom line, too. Squad Five-0 rock. It's not about anthems and bastardized styles, it's about becoming the essence of rock, transmogrifying every note and movement into something bigger and cheekier than what's actually apparent.
With that said, Bombs Over Broadway succeeds and fails under the bridge of attitude and energy. When they are spot on lipping it and tipping it they are magnificent, as in the title track (which stands out on the album with surprising harmonies and epic production), "Lost Boys," and "Restless Youth." When they are fumbling around haphazardly with some kind of ancient glam formula they are lame and impotent, as in "Lost in the City" and "Renegade." Obvious influences are Guns and Roses, Motley Crue, et al, but make no mistake, this is not a 'heavy metal' album. This is glam rock with lingering punk rhythms, plain and simple. They mastered the popping drums, overboard guitar climaxes and lazy bridges, and screeching vocals – although Jeff's southern twang makes his screeches smooth and even warm at times – and combined these trademarks with their own trademarks. It is odd that some of the songs came out so limp, but that happens in these types of projects, and it seems like overproduction is usually the culprit in those cases. Luckily, there is enough bite in other songs to save the album as a whole, and almost ALL of their songs come across powerfully live. So it goes.
Squad gives us a pretty enjoyable, if a little inconsistent, rendition of apocalypse glam rock on Bombs Over Broadway. Let's just hope it doesn't spread any further, and that Buckcherry doesn't take this album as a nod of approval.
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Shawna T.Bombs away! Squad Five-O's new release Bombs Over Broadway is guaranteed to blow you away with a flashback to the eighties. Their new album sounds like a hair band clashing with retro punk. It's almost like someone put Poison, Rancid, Husker Du, Faster Pussycat, Crashdog, and the Clash into a wrestling rink. The quality and depth of this album is the most surprising thing I've heard since Alice…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianThe first thing that came to my mind with this new Squad Five-O album is that it's a fun album. It's one you can put in and just have fun to. It rocks, you can sing along, and it's got plenty of attitude. As most of you already know Squad Five-O has gone from ska-punk to punk-ska and now to glam rock. Sure the band and some of their fans seem to be calling it rock n roll, but in reality it's glam…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by JamesPoison called. They said they wanted their setlist back. Granted, if you've seen Squad Five-O's live show in the last couple years, you know that "Bombs Over Broadway" stems from their innate tendency to re-establish the reign of "Eighties Hair Metal". Unfortunately, in a more broad and marketable sense, this album is hardly relevant. In my quest for an excuse to say, "hey! these boys are onto…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ChrisIt's been a while since I'd heard the talk about how Christian music is just a bad rip-off of the mainstream music of the time. Squad not only seems to want this conversation started again, but they've done so by propelling themselves 15 years into the past. This record is a lot of BAD 80's glam rock sounding stuff, without any of the virtues of the genre. The production quality is not even up to…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Luke HarlowFrom the opening of the first, and title track, "Bombs Over Broadway" to the final song "Don't Look Back," it is clear that this record is about one thing: rock and roll. If one thing is certain, this album does rock. If every classic glam rock song was taken, influenced by punk, and then condensed into an 11-song album, the result would be "Bombs Over Broadway." Nothing is too complex here, just…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestGlam from the streets, that's perhaps the best description I can give this record. What you hear is raw rock 'n roll with a punky garage sound. And at the same time there's a glamrock twist to it. A song like Renegade has an Alice Cooper feel. The same goes for Restless Youth with its bluesy flavor. Some of the other songs are sleazier like the uptempo Lost Boys which is more in the punkrock…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial Farmer1. I'll make no bones about it. I absolutely hated Squad Five-0's first two albums. I found their poorly produced mix of ska and punk and insipid lyrics very nearly unlistenable. 2. Glam metal appears to be coming back into fashion. More and more punk bands are declaring their style as "glam punk," and with VH1 dedicating their Behind the Music show to more and more hair metal bands, it appears…Similar sounding releases
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