Band:	Warrant
Album:	Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	1989
A review by:	omne metallum

01. 32 Pennies
02. Down Boys
03. Big Talk
04. Sometimes She Cries
05. So Damn Pretty
06. D.R.F.S.R.
07. In The Sticks
08. Heaven
09. Ridin' High
10. Cold Sweat

Guessing neither the band nor the label foresaw the digital age then.

The Sunset strip conveyor belt had been churning out bands for nearly a decade at this point; the product had been perfected to the point of blandness, with identikit bands replacing other bands in short order once their shelf life expired. It was in this world that Warrant took their turn on this treadmill, hitting the ground running with their debut Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and while they wouldn't rise far above their peers, they make an ok record for a genre quickly running on fumes.

The faux rebellious nature of the title and artwork would lead you to believe this is a band who are out to call BS on a scene that had been hollowed out by an industry desperate to capitalize on any hot trend. This, however, would turn out to be a red herring; once you start listening to the record proper, while the band do have a slightly harder tone, they easily slot amongst their contemporaries and are eager to join in the spoils. Strap yourself in for a latter-day glam rock band who are trying to find a niche to call their own in an over-saturated scene.

Combining third hand blues structures with a poor man's attempt at Van Halen guitar heroics and bombastic choruses, you have the 'rock' side of Warrant in a nutshell. Of course, this being glam metal, there are the obligatory power ballads: so far everything is as to be expected. Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich is no different to every other cookie cutter band by this point and are reliant on their individual members to try and stamp their identity on the listener.

It is when the band let loose that they play to their strengths, with tracks like "Down Boys", "So Damn Pretty" and "D.R.F.S.R." serving as the album's highlights, with Lane showing himself to have a strong voice on him that mixes well with the guitar team of Allen and Turner. It is when these two elements are combined and left to mix together naturally that Warrant hit their stride and make their best impression on the listener. Allen and Turner focus the spotlight on Lane and give him something to feed off, which he is able to do in spades, having one of the better voices in the genre.

The other songs tread the boards between average and poor, with songs like "32 Pennies" and "In The Sticks" being enjoyable but forgettable in the grand scheme of things and the power ballads "Sometimes She Cries" and "Heaven" getting lost in the deluge of power ballads released at the time. Neither song will leave a strong impression on you once they draw to a close and smack of contract obligation rather than inspiration.

Beau Hill's production job highlights his mixed results as a producer; while he pushes the guitars and vocals to the front and balances the polished and raw power well, he does so at the expense of the drums. Sweet's drums sound thin and compressed to the point he could be mistaken for a drum machine it sounds so unnatural and robotic; he is relegated to a time-keeping role, so devoid of character and power are his drums.

For a record that combines hand-me-down aesthetics and sonics, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich is better than the sum of its parts, being able to repackage old ideas into a new box with Lane providing a neat bow on top. it is a fun listen while it lasts, but nothing that will have you wanting to return to it in short order.