CRUCIFIED BARBARA is a group of four Heavy Metal vixens from Stockholm. “Til Death Do Us Party” is the group’s second Metal assault, combining simple oldschool Metal ala MOTÖRHEAD with a bit of that Glam polish.

Vocalist/guitarist Mia Coldheart has really come into her own on this album (prior to joining CRUCIFIED BARBARA, she had only ever sung backup vocals). Her voice has a certain sting to it that immediately separates her from the Joan Jetts and Pat Benatars of the world, comparing more favourably to Enid Williams and Kim McAuliffe of GIRLSCHOOL. While GIRLSCHOOL often sounded like a female MOTÖRHEAD with a few Punk influences, CRUCIFIED BARBARA consciously steers away from the rawer sounds, preferring to deliver an album with clear, smooth production all around.

The songs on “Til Death Do Us Party” run the gamut from Glammy ballads (“Jennyfer”) to blistering Heavy Metal (“Killer On His Knees”). The quality of said songs is just as variable. A few of the songs, like “Blackened Bones,” lose their groove because it seems as if the band focused solely on making the song as heavy as possible without putting enough effort into the actual listenability of the song. There’s nothing worse than plowing through a tough-as-nails verse only to have a mediocre chorus fail to seal the deal. They do get it right often, though, like on “Sex Action” and “Dark Side.”

Bottom line, if you like GIRLSCHOOL, you’ll probably enjoy CRUCIFIED BARBARA. Check them out if female MOTÖRHEAD-meets-MÖTLEY CRÜE sounds like your thing.

(Online June 15, 2009)