There are some bands that -- although not huge in the rock world -- still enjoy a small cult following that really swears by them. Zodiac Mindwarp the Love Reaction is such a band. Their trashy, decadent approach to hard rock, garage rock, and glam rock never made leader Mark Manning a mega-superstar, but despite flying under the radar all these years, Zodiac have maintained some die-hard admirers who still sing their praises. And those hardcore followers will find this 2005 release to be a likable party album even though it isn't in a class with '80s discs like Tattooed Beat Messiah and High Priest of Love. Drawing on influences that include AC/DC, T. Rex, Alice Cooper, the Rolling Stones, and MC5, Rock Savage rejects the ultra-introspective tendencies that have characterized so many alternative rock releases in the '90s and 2000s. If anything, Rock Savage is what could be described as an anti-introspective album; dirty, beer-soaked, sex-obsessed fun is still Manning's forte, and he maintains his allegiance to hooky '70s and '80s rock on tracks like Nowhere, Hog Mama, Let It Fall, and I Don't Like It. The material sounds quite dated and clichéd by mid-2000s rock standards -- for that matter, it is quite dated and clichéd by mid-'90s standards -- but dated isn't necessarily a negative if one worships a particular era, and the era of bad-boy '70s/'80s party rock is fondly remembered on this CD. Most longtime followers will likely agree that Rock Savage isn't the band's strongest album and that The Best of Zodiac Mindwarp the Love Reaction on Spectrum Records would be a better starting point, but for faithful Zodiac devotees, Rock Savage is a decent, if less than essential, addition to their catalog. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		Intro (Valsalver's Overture)
2		Rock Savage
3		I Got Love
4		Love Will Conquer All
5		Northern Boy
6		You're My Girl
7		Nowhere
8		Let It Fall
9		I Don't Like It
10		Who's That Girl
11		California
12		Alice
13		Hog Mama
14		Love Will Conquer All