Good music, good friends, good attitudes, and good work ethics can all help you in the music business, but there’s one other thing that can help just as much — good luck. So is the case with Florida’s Neurotica, who was discovered by AC/DC’s Brian Johnson purely by chance one night in a club. Johnson made some calls, got the band signed to an indie label, and produced the band’s first album, Seed. Unfortunately due to some label problems, their debut saw very little public light.

Not to be stopped, Neurotica has been working ever since then to earn what’s theirs. The band has been touring on Ozzfest this summer (making appearances on the main stage), has a single (“Ride Of Your Life”) on the WWF’s Forceable Entry album, and has just released their sophomore album. But, does the disc back up the hype?

The answer is yes. Neurotica play straight forward hard rock and roll. In a music wasteland jumbled with confusing labels, Neurotica takes equal parts of Motley Crue, Black Crowes, Guns and Roses, Buckcherry and Fuel, mixes them up in a blender, pours the whole mess in a glass and throws it in your face!

Neurotica opens up with “Ride Of Your Life”, the single which also appeared on the WWF’s latest album. It’s a good song and a good marketing idea. The pace doesn’t slow much before “All My Friends Crush You” kicks in on track four, which is the first single and video from the album (undoubtedly with the line “All my friends / they shit on you” censored in some fashion). The band pounds out eleven solid rockers, occasionally slowing down the tempo but never the momentum.

Neurotica is definitely a guitar based album. The drums and bass, while professional in every sense of the word, rarely poke their heads out from around the double axed lineup. Shaefer’s vocals swagger up front, scratchy enough to relate to the men but shallow enough to hit home with the boys.

Fans of good ol’ rock and roll should pick this disc up or try and catch the band live on Ozzfest this summer. Neurotica certainly have the chops to make it in a rock and roll world — whether or not they have the faces to make it in MTV land remains to be seen.

01. Ride Of Your Life
02. Down (I Feel)
03. Don’t Blow It Away
04. All My Friends Crush You
05. Stars In My Eyes
06. Living In Dog Years
07. Touch The Sound
08. Said She
09. Up In The Hay
10. A Lot Of The Same
11. I Like It (One Way)

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