It’s hard to believe that Motley Crue’s second album, ‘Shout At The Devil’ is nearly 40 years old. A groundbreaking record for a specific sub genre of heavy music. ‘Shout At The Devil’ remains a pinnacle in 80’s hard rock.
Combining heavy metal with pop and a fresh, shock rock look. ‘Shout At The Devil’ put Motley Crue on the map. And the entire Sunset Strip for that matter. Yes, there were other albums of the genre that were out. But ‘Shout At The Devil’ was the first to crack the top 20 (with the exception of Quiet Riot). And lead to an eventual headlining tour. After a stint of opening slots with Ozzy Osbourne. And it’s no wonder. With tracks such as ‘Looks That Kill,’ ‘Too Young To Fall In Love’ and the power groove title track. ‘Shout At The Devil’ makes its statement.
The previous album, ‘Too Fast For Love.’ Was rooted more in punk. But with ‘Shout’ Motley went full on metal. The British New Wave of Heavy Metal brought the genre out of the duldrums. And the Crue were going to take full advantage. ‘Red Hot’ brings in the heat with Tommy Lee’s deadly double bass attack. ‘Bastard’ drives the album forward. As well as the bands mega heavy cover of ‘Helter Skelter.’ ‘Knock ‘Em Dead Kid’ is a thick riff that’s signature catchy Crue. While ‘Ten Seconds To Love’ brings in the sex appeal. The remastered version of the album contains an unreleased album closer entitled ‘I Will Survive.’ A great song that leaves fans wondering why it was left off the album in the first place.
‘Shout’ is considered by many Crue fans to be their finest hour. It’s certainly their most aggressive album with Vince Neil at the vocal helm. And it helped bring 80’s hard rock into the mainstream. Which enjoyed a decade of immense popularity. And while it didn’t technically start with ‘Shout.’ It’s the first perfect example of how and why heavy metal dominated the 80’s.
