Warrant – ‘Ultraphobic’

(Deko Entertainment)

I think Warrant’s 1995 album ‘Ultraphobic’ is infamous for all the wrong reasons as it saw the band jump onto the Grunge band wagon that was so popular in the mid-nineties. The band was critically slammed, the band were criticised for changing style and their established fanbase just didn’t understand it, let alone enjoy it. The desired new fanbase they and their label were hoping to reach was never going to happen! They would never be taken serious by the misery loving teens of the era as the band were synonymous with party tune ‘Cherry Pie’. ‘Ultraphobic’ was doomed to failure before it was even released regardless of the quality of the musicianship or how well crated the songs could be.

‘Ultraphobic’ was an attempt to stay relevant in the in the musical landscape of the mid-nineties – it didn’t work. Sometimes you can look back at albums like this with fresh unprejudiced eyes and find yourself pleasantly surprised by what you hear. It’s perhaps not as bad as that initial repulsion felt by Warrant fans back in 95 but it definitely isn’t an underappreciated classic ready for revaluation either. They were desperately trying to appease the alternative fans of the day and it just feels unnatural and forced making the album underwhelming regardless of your personal tastes.

Obviously, Jani Lane’s voice stand’s out but even his stellar pipes can’t save these songs. Let’s be honest the Grunge and Alternative genre would never have got the best out of Lane and he would have to suppress his abilities to fully embrace the genre, which to be honest would have been an injustice to his talents had the band continued on for much longer.

The band had made massive strides with their previous album ‘Dog Eat Dog’ with a more mature and heavier sound, it’s a crying shame they didn’t continue down that route!

This is a hard one to recommend but I think if you’re a Warrant fan you do need to hear it even if it’s just to say you have! If you have an ear for Alternative Rock, you may even find little aspects to like about this album, but even if you took this album as a Grunge album with no knowledge of the bands history it still isn’t a good album! It’s a shame really as I’m huge fan of Warrant and especially the late great Jani Lane!

4/10

Essential Track - 'Stronger Now'

Review by Woody