UK band KILL FOR EDEN was formed by guitarist Dave Garfield and vocalist Lyla D’Souza back in 2009, and since then they have been putting the rest of the band together, written material and basically honed their craft, releasing an EP along the way too unless I’m much mistaken. “Kill For Eden” is their debut album, and was self-released in May 2013.

Now, I’d really like to restore my memory banks from 20 odd years ago, as this is where this album takes me. Mid to late 1980’s and early 1990’s material on the borderline between hard rock and heavy metal, depending on point of view. An accessible variety of this too I might add, this is music made for radio performances and large venues with crowds joining the band for multiple singalongs.

My first association when listening through this album was actually towards the late Wendy O. Williams, who released a couple of decent albums back in the 80’s with the help of some decent songsmiths. Kill For Eden’s material share some of those qualities: Accessible songs in nature, high singalong factor and a powerful female lead vocalist. It’s not that these are directly comparable I might add, but certain superficial qualities are shared between them.

The second half of this disc is perhaps the one where the similarities are most profound within that context. The material turns fairly predictable at that point, with a certain Def Leppard meets The Cult quality to them, lightly flavored by certain chorus and structure details that brings Desmond Child to mind. Some of these songs does pack a good punch, but quite a few of them struggle to fascinate me beyond the point of being pleasant. Well made, but not any better than many other bands exploring similar material.

The opening half of this album is quite another story however. Monster tune Kerosene, a perfect blend of The Cult and Def Leppard to my ears, with a slight touch of, perhaps, Garbage, in the chorus section. A singalong pop metal affair with FM radio written all over it, perhaps apart from a few juicy lyrical morsels. A song that will most likely will inspire the minds of young, hormonal boys in an x-rated direction. Following this stellar opening we’re treated to a fair few excursions that I’d describe as The Cult meets Garbage midways, with powerful riff constructions fro the former and the elegant melodic overlays and singalong qualities of the latter combining beautifully. I’ll also pull forth The Evil That Men Do with a special mention, sporting a nifty little guitar detail that sounds like a homage to a certain monster hit by Bon Jovi, a nifty bass driven verse passage with subtle dark features that makes me remember good, old Balaam & the Angel and a stomping chorus that have a distinct sound of The Cult to my mind at least.

What elevates this total experience from a pleasant revisit to radio friendly hard rock and pop metal from yesteryear to something more interesting are the vocals of Lyla D’Souza. She’s got a subtly sultry voice, as suitable in emotional delivery as in the really powerful and gripping displays, and able and willing to add an aggressive little snarl when needed. A high quality female vocalist well suited to this particular type of music.

Those who truly enjoy accessible and melodic music on the border between hard rock and metal, of the kind that have singalong chorus sections aplenty and a distinct FM radio quality about them, should enjoy this production through and through. A taste for bands such as The Cult, Garbage and to some extent Def Leppard is probably required, as well as a taste for powerful female lead vocals.

My rating: 79/100