Metal Underground.com

With a history that goes all the way back to 1980, it's little wonder that Rain's "Dad Is Dead" has a sleazy rock feel that would put it right at home with the likes of early Motley Crue. The fact that lead singer Francesco Grandi has a voice that will remind many of Van Halen's David Lee Roth doesn't exactly hurt either.

Hailing from Bologna, Italy, the band definitely knows its way around the Sunset Strip sound. Tracks like "Love In The Back," "The Party" and "Bang Bus" are the kind of sleazy, sweat-dripping rawk that Los Angeles was producing back in the day. Guitarists Marco Rizzi and Alessio Amorati split the difference between the bluesy swagger of a Joe Perry or Slash and the fleet-fingered mayhem of an Eddie Van Halen quite well.

Drummer Andrea Baldi gives tracks like "Last Friday" and "Dad Is Dead" a nice sense of percussive movement that gives them a heavier edge. Also, the band does an excellent job covering the Cult's "Rain" with the help of Steve Sylvester and Freddy Delirio from the Italian shock-rock outfit Death SS.

On the downside, the similarity of sounds (an acoustic track somewhere near the middle wouldn't have hurt) makes the album feel a bit longer than its 57 minutes. Tracks like "Rain Are Us" and "Red Kiss" feel like filler, as do "Swan Tears" and "The Reason."

Those looking for a sweaty Sunset Strip-style rawk experience would do well to soak in Rain's "Dad Is Dead." It may be 10 minutes too long — and filled with songs that pretty much sound the same — but attitude and some killer guitar work count for a lot.