TED NUGENT – Detroit Muscle

Ted Nugent - Detroit Muscle Album Cover
  • 3.9/10
    TED NUGENT - Detroit Muscle - 3.9/10
3.9/10

Summary

Label: Pavement Entertainment
Release date: April 29, 2022

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Love And Hate

In the 1970s, there was a guitarist who took the world by storm with his energetic playing, exciting stage shows, and well-written and produced records. With over 15 million albums sold worldwide over his 55+ year career, Ted Nugent became a household name that was cemented in Rock history with his blazing loud guitar, and signature squirrel tail. Ted Nugent had a resurgence in the early 1990s when he joined Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades in the Damn Yankees, bringing him back into the spotlight briefly. Fast forward to 2022, and we find another version of Ted Nugent that is now an icon for the NRA, right-wing politics, and promoting racist hate-speech. With quotes to the press like his rant on then U.S. President Barrack Obama, calling him a “communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel”, he has garnered a reputation of saying all of the wrong things in the name of his personal opinions. The Ted Nugent of today still plays music, though it seems like not much more than a platform for promoting his radical beliefs. Ted Nugent – Detroit Muscle follows in this trend of pushing the ideas that he has dedicated himself to, right or wrong.

Glory Days Past

Let’s get down to the album Detroit Muscle and see what we can find out when we take a close look under the hood. The album has 11 tracks that come in at barely over 33 minutes, a short album even in the hey day of vinyl. The opening cut, “Detroit Muscle,” might be the worst track on the record, with the erratic vocals drowning out what might have been a cool riff, even if we’ve heard it all before. “Come and Take It” follows as another political message about guns, with the lyric video clearly stating his point. The song takes the chorus of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” and simply changes the words, while again the guitar work isn’t bad. The third track, “Born In The Motor City,” is probably the most listenable song on the record, with a decent groove, and a break in the political preaching. The rest of the album falls into this same pattern of predictable rehashed Rock with more politics taking precedence over art. For this reviewer the final instrumental track, “Star Spangled Banner,” brings nothing new to the table, and just can’t hold up to what Jimi Hendrix created.

Final Notes

Ted Nugent is someone you either love, hate, or never heard of, with a lot of readers being born after his career peaked in the 1970s. Die-hard Nuge fans are sure to find whatever it is they are looking for on Detroit Muscle, and will probably enjoy the album. The rest of us might not be as enthused by what feels like the same old thing, with just a new “script” to spread Mr. Nugent’s personal beliefs, loves and hatred.

Ted Nugent

Lineup

Ted Nugent – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals, bass, percussion
Greg Smith – bass, backing vocals
Jason Hartless – drums

Detroit Muscle – Tracklist

01. Detroit Muscle
02. Come and Take It
03. Born in the Motor City
04. American Campfire
05. Drivin’ Blind
06. Just Leave Me Alone
07. Alaska
08. WinterSpring SummerFall
09. Leave the Lights On
10. Feedback Grind Fire
11. Star Spangled Banner

Author

  • Bryce Van Patten

    Bryce is an audio engineer and a graphic designer here at Metal Express Radio. From the day he purchased his first album (Machine Head by Deep Purple), he has had a passion for heavy music, which has influenced his whole life. Bryce is from the great Pacific Northwest in USA, and has played in metal bands like Babylon, Holy Terror, The Wild Dogs, Warhead and Egypt through the 80s. He had his first interview for the Portland, Oregon publication The Rock Rag with guitarist Paul Gilbert in his Racer X days. Then he was honored to get to have drinks, and talk for an hour with the legendary Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for his second interview. In 2013, he spent an amazing hour talking to Andi Deris of Helloween, which was the high point of his heavy metal journalism.   In the year 2001, he formed Man in Black Music Publishing. They released recordings by several local bands, and in the spirit of the old Metal Massacre compilations, he created a 2-album series called The Defenders of Metal. The albums featured classic styled Metal bands from all around the world, with bands from Australia to England, and from Argentina to Russia. Currently, he is the producer/creator/vocalist of the Metal band The Black Tuesdays.

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8 Comments

  1. Whoever reviewed this album and wrote his personal crap opinion is a nobody. Maybe you should stop writing since you’re stupid and so judgemental. You ain’t judging this album you’re judging the man.
    Ted Nugent could kick your ass.

    • Intelligent people would give an opposing argument, where others can only come up with throwing insults. Put on any of the big selling albums from the 70s, when he had a valid career and compare. Then put on Billy Squire’s “Stroke Me”. By the way, you can’t separate the man from his politics when he is using his music career to spread hatred and propaganda. As far as Ted kicking my ass? He’d probably dodge me like he did the draft.

  2. This is a great cd!! Hey BVP if you are reviewing an album then review the album. Why do you have to talk about his political views? Do you do this with other artists you review?

    • I start every review with an intro and background of each artist, followed by the review and summary. So your answer is: Yes. If you like the CD, more power to you. My article clearly lets you know what I think of the record.

    • I had to talk about his politics because he talks about them on the album. Example: “Come and Take It”

  3. A review is an opinion, so it could only be dishonest if I said I didn’t like it, but actually did. Thanks for the comment 🙂

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