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Singer Iacopo ‘Jack’ Meille’s other band when he’s not fronting Tygers Of Pan Tang, Damn Freaks make no claims to be anything other than a shameless 80s-style good-time rock group.

Sound-wise, there’s plenty of space in the mix to hear exactly what guitarist Marco Torri is playing, and Meille is a breathless ball of energy at the mic, the one-two punch reminiscent of classic Van Halen with Ted Templeman twiddling the knobs, particularly on opener Poison Apple and Burning Up, while Dream Highway has a distinct Poison vibe.

Unsurprisingly, the top tune is the NWOBHM-riffing Break The Chains, which begs you to plug in the old air guitar and make like it’s 1980 again – and who doesn’t want to do that?

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.