• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Let Them Eat Metal is the fifth full-length album from US metal stalwarts The Rods. It is an album I saw a hundred times back in the day (hard to forget that cover) but never bought, so thanks to this vinyl reissue by High Roller Records, I get to hear it properly for the first time.

The original members of The Rods that played on Let Them Eat Metal were veterans of the hard rock scene in the late ‘70s with bands like Elf (Ronnie James Dio’s first band, The Rods singer David Feinstein, a cousin of Dio, was in the band), Rainbow, Rhett Forrester (ex-Riot vocalist), Blue Cheer and others smattering their collective resumes. Given that, it should be no surprise that Let Them Eat Metal leans toward hard rock more than a little, especially by today’s standards, but there is metal in the mix. "She’s So Tight" has the simple riffs and simpler subject matter of KISS, while "We’ve Got the Fire" is a southern boogie number, closer to Molly Hatchet than say Lizzy Borden. On the metal side, "White Lightning" crackles with NWOBHM speed and intensity, rivaling British groups like Sweet Savage and Weapon while "Rock Warriors" could easily have found its way onto an Anvil album. Being veterans prior to forming The Rods and this being their fifth album, the band is tight and their performances confident. Even in 1984, nothing The Rods were doing was anything remotely groundbreaking, just solid, competent hard rock/heavy metal. If you are a fan of ‘80s metal and this is your first experience with The Rods, Let Them Eat Metal is going to sound comfortably familiar. It isn’t an album that will blow your speakers, but it does rock.