Pedal To The Metal may have spawned a new genre: haircore. Blessed By A Broken Heart takes the cheesiness and over the top antics of '80s hair metal and combines it with elements of metalcore. That may sound like a horrible combination, but they somehow make it work.
Catchy riffs are accented by old school synthesizers and blazing guitar solos. Just when you think it's 1989, Blessed By A Broken Heart brings a potent breakdown, and then takes back off into retro land once again. The '80s sounding electronic drums also make a regular appearance.
Vocalist Tony Gambino alternates melodic singing with hardcore yells, and there are some shoutalong vocals as well. The lyrics are really cheesy. I'm still not sure if these guys are serious or tongue in cheek, but either way Pedal To The Metal is a guilty pleasure that's better than I thought it was going to be.
(released September 2, 2008 on Century Media Records)
