Scarlet Revolt’s Cold Town reflects a dramatic musical departure. The dark, heavy and yet melodic rock sonic prompted Bulldog 93.1 FM in Athens, GA, to say Cold Town toes “the thin line between aggressive rock and smart metal.”

The bottom line is that there are some potentially cracking songs here that could — and perhaps should — neatly blur the line between classic ’80s glam metal and the denim clad New Wave of British Heavy Metal, were it not for the rather ordinary production and distinct lack of grit across the board. A liberal sprinkling of that missing and essential ingredient to provide some much needed “oomph” and Last Wish could well have had a classic debut on their hands. Sadly, and with the best will in the world, that is not the case.