Hot on the heels of
Guns N' Roses' skyrocketing career in the late '80s, countless bands attempted to cash in on
Axl and company's sleazy, bandana-wearing, '70s-era
Aerosmith shtick -- especially on the Sunset Strip. One such band was
Junkyard, which returned in 2003 with a six-song EP,
Tried and True, after an extended hiatus. Unlike most of their competition at the time of their first go-round, most of
Junkyard's bandmembers had backgrounds in punk bands -- not arena rock. And the group's punk roots come to the surface in the riffs 'n' attitude of the album opener, "Fight," and also "Waste of Time." But not all of
Tried and True is meant to played on Friday night when you're getting ready to head out with the mates. The title track is a power ballad that would have sounded oh so sweet between "I Remember You" and "Janie's Got a Gun" back in 1989, and "Simple Man" is an acoustic ballad that treads on
Black Crowes territory. Fans of
GNR-esque rock will be able to relate, but many would agree that
Tried and True arrived 15 years too late.
–
Greg Prato, Rovi