After the surprise platinum success of their 1992 debut, the wild-eyed southern boys in Jackyl return two years later with another heapin' helpin' of their patented brand of redneck metal. This time, they enlist the talents of superproducer Bruce Fairbairn. Although all the key ingredients are still in abundant supply, Fairbairn manages to somehow soften the initial trademark Jackyl sound. The riffs are there, the choruses are there, the hooks are there, but somehow, the album has a more laid-back feel when compared to the rambunctious debut. There's also a bit more of a swampy, southern-rock feel to the songs, and those big, loose bass-and-drum grooves are even bigger and looser this time around.
Good songs still manage to shine through, though, with the opening title track being the top highlight with its huge chorus, and is one of the band's best songs overall. "Headed For Destruction" is the obligatory chainsaw song, and is another good, rowdy romp. The chainsaw really doesn't add anything to it, though. "I Want It," "Private Hell," and "Rock-A-Ho" are all typical Jackyl rockers, and "Back Down In The Dirt" has an absolutely killer groove to it. The deep-south influences come out in full force, as one might guess, in "Dixieland," and "Secret Of The Bottle" is damn near a country ballad, and pretty much sums up why people drink. Perfect background music for pounding some solitary beer.
As far as lyrics go, Jesse Dupree's decidedly un-PC sense of humor is fully intact on songs like "This Is My Life" ("I once played a party where some college dudes lived / I guess that means my music can be called alternative") and "Chinatown" ("See the man dressed up in ladies' clothes, he looks pretty rude / I guess he forgot to take a look at himself when he was in the nude"). The requisite crude sex song shows up with the aforementioned "Rock-A-Ho" as well. So yep, all the ingredients are here. It's not as all-around good as the debut, due to the production and a handful of songs that just aren't very memorable.

TRACK LIST:
1. Push Comes To Shove
2. Headed For Destruction
3. This Is My Life
4. I Could Never Touch You Like That
5. Dixieland
6. I Want It
7. Private Hell
8. I Am The I Am
9. Secret Of The Bottle
10. Rock-A-Ho
11. Back Down In The Dirt
12. Chinatown

Review by Kip Massey