If it were the heyday of '70s arena rock, L.A.-based hard rock outfit
American Pearl would be just as cool as
Foreigner, Survivor, Kansas, and
Boston. Those smiling hard rock days called for epic-happy vocals and melodic guitar solos;
American Pearl captures such memories and maintains a gnarling edge on their self-titled debut. Spiraling guitar riffs and punk rock attitude pinpoint this four-piece as just another alternative rock band. Not angst-powered like
Limp Bizkit and
Godsmack,
American Pearl is reasonably harsh but in a rock & roll way on cuts like "California" and "Free Your Mind." "Automatic," the chosen closing track for Wes Craven's Scream 3, throbs with frontman/
Chris Cornell sound-alike Kevin Roentgen's gritty vocals. It still feels like the first time, no
Foreigner joke intended. ~ MacKenzie Wilson