Turbonegro
Sexual Harassment
(Scandinavian Leather Recordings)

The barons of bad taste are back after a three-year hiatus with a new album called Sexual Harassment, although let’s face it, any of their albums could have borne that title. So what’s changed in that time? Well, they got a new singer. That’s right, the iconic Hank von Helvetes quit the band and the rest of the boys decided to soldier on without him. His replacement is former Dukes of Nothing frontman Tony Sylvester, a Brit if you can believe it. Sylvester, it seems, is having his own Ripper Owens moment as he used to be the President of the London chapter of the Turbojugend and now he’s in the band.

At first I found the presence of this new voice (and the absence of a mildly psychotic/ heavily accented one) distracting. The music was still good but something just didn’t feel right. Somewhere around “Shake Your Shit Machine” though, I realized that this was the same Turbonegro they always were. So what if the man singing the songs changed? Turbonegro has had numerous line-up changes, including vocalists. The songs are still what you’d hope they would be – tight riffs, heavy rhythms, and hilariously idiotic song titles. The band still sounds great whether they are doing metal (“I Got A Knife”) or glam-rock (“Tight Pants, Loose Leash”). Sexual Harassment isn’t as good as Ass Cobra or Apocalypse Dudes, but it has it’s own place in the discography. Let’s face it, Turbonegro are more of an institution they are a mere band. If you’re already in the club, this album won’t make you want to quit.