• Source: Street Lethal

      • Street Lethal is the first studio album by the American heavy metal band Racer X, released on January 1, 1986 through Shrapnel Records. The instrumental track "Y.R.O." stands for "Yngwie Rip-Off", as it bears similarities to "Black Star" by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen (from his 1984 album Rising Force), with an almost identical bassline. It later appeared in the 2009 video game Brütal Legend.


      Critical reception



      In a contemporary review, Paul Henderson of Kerrang! found Street Lethal "a pretty good album despite the occasional over-emphasis on 'melt-down' guitar pyrotechnics"; he praised the song structures, which he thought would more likely turn up on a Van Halen album, and the band's musicianship which "would put to shame many of the so-called 'big names' of heavy rock." Because of Jeff Martin's vocals and Paul Gilbert's rhythm guitar work, Rock Hard reviewer found similarities with the early works of Japanese bands Anthem and Loudness and concluded that "if you are on speed metal with level and melody, you can also blindly access this product from Mike Varney's inexhaustible talent supply".
      Andy Hinds at AllMusic called Street Lethal "essentially a showcase for then teenaged guitar prodigy Paul Gilbert" and "skillfully executed, Judas Priest-style metal". Martin's singing was also likened to that of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and the rhythm section praised for "their part in maintaining the excitement." Hinds recommended the album for fans of shred, saying that it "has plenty to drool over." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff appreciated Paul Gilbert's rocking guitar "not in the classical fugue state so prevalent on other shred records" and the mix of speed metal with "sturdy party rock songs."


      Track listing




      Personnel


      Racer X

      Jeff Martin – vocals
      Paul Gilbert – guitar
      Harry Gschoesser – drums
      John Alderete – bass
      Technical

      Steve Fontano – producer, engineer, mixing
      George Horn – mastering at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
      Mike Varney – executive producer
      Guy Aitchison – cover art


      References




      External links


      In Review: Racer X "Street Lethal" at Guitar Nine Records

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