4 On The Floor is the latest full-length album from Broken Teeth, a side project of Dangerous Toys frontman, Jason McMaster. Broken Teeth was formed in in 1999 & looks like it’s been an on and off again project. They just recently signed on the David Ellefson‘s EMP label before as they were making this album.
I have to admit that Dangerous Toys was always a blind spot for me. I remember a couple of my buddies had the first album back in the day but for some reason, I never got into them. So when I got this album for review, I was going in completely blind. However, after looking at the cover, I had a pretty good idea that this would be a solid rocking album—and I wasn’t wrong!
Broken Teeth are a hard-rockin’, ass-kickin’, no frills band. Their sound feels a lot like Bon Scott-era AC/DC with a little more intensity and growl. 4 On The Floor starts out with the roar of a muscle car, establishing exactly what you’re getting from Broken Teeth, basic “4 On The Floor” rock and roll. The track is a solid opener. The second track, “Sinful”, is a sleazy, mid-tempo number, full of nasty attitude.
The next track, “All Or Nothin'”, is a faster driving beat with a killer groove. “Getcha’ Some” has a smashing opening lick that jumps into a really catchy riff. It’s another song that feels like it could have been stolen right out the Bon Scott playbook. Next up is “Borrowed Time (W.O.M.G.)”, a little more toned down, bluesy track with less growl in Jason‘s voice. The toned down track brings in a little more range to the album.
“House Of Damnation” is arguably the fastest rocker on the album. I’m a sucker for the AC/DC-style gang vocals. They’re all over the album but they really stand out on this track. “Let The War Machine Roll” is another fast one with a great riff, Jason McMaster vocals remind me most of the time like a cross between Jesse James Dupree and Bon Scott (of course) but sometimes his growl comes off like a young Tom Keifer. This track is one of those times.
“Never Dead” is one of the best tracks on the album and is a true Lemmy tribute that captures the essence of Motörhead 10 times more than Metallica‘s “Murder One”. Finally, “All Day Sucker” starts out with an intro of a bunch of unnecessary city noises that distract from the song, otherwise, it’s a solid track. Rounding out the album is “Rock Bottom”, a KISS cover. I always liked the acoustic intro on the original but on this album, it felt out of place. I thought it was longer than the original but it’s actually half the length, just over a minute. It’s a pretty basic, no-frills cover. I’m a fan of the original so I was thrilled to hear it but I can see others feeling like a throwaway track.
4 On The Floor is a solid rock album that rocks hard while still making catchy riffs and quality songwriting. Broken Teeth is a great band that kills it with this album.
