There was a deep suspicion about this album right from the off, as it was written at the same time as ’’Load’’ and could therefore be regarded as rejected material. The band vehemently denied this of course, claiming that the two records are vastly different, and I have to say I broadly agree with them, and feel that this is better than the last release.
There are several excellent tracks - ’’Fuel’’ (real old-style monster riff), single ’’The Memory Remains’’ (without Marianne Faithfull it would have been superb, as I think her contribution detracts slightly from the overall power of the song. It’s significant that ’’Fade To Black’’ is mentioned in the lyrics as it is fairly reminiscent of that track), ’’Devil’s Dance’’, (definitely not a dance track!) ’’Better than You’’ (turns into a bit of a stonker after a scratchy start), ’’Slither’’, ’’Carpe Diem Baby’’, and ’’Prince Charming’’ are the best of the bunch.
Even the ’’fillers’’ are better than on ’’Load’’ - ’’Bad Seed’’, ’’Where The Wild Things Are’’, ’’Attitude’’ and ’’Fixxxer’’ (even though it’s over eight minutes long) all rock along nicely. Which just leaves ’’The Unforgiven II’’ (basically a reworking of ’’The Unforgiven’’, as you might have guessed, which I don’t really see the point of) and the obligatory weird track, ’’Low Man’s Lyric’’, (an Irish folk song featuring a hurdy-gurdy. I’ve always felt that this type of music benefits from the rock treatment, but this one just doesn’t work for me I’m afraid).
’’Reload’’ is generally less controlled than ’’Load’’, surprisingly since Bob Rock was involved, and definitely benefits from repeated listenings. The only gripe is a usual one of mine, namely that only a very limited selection of lyrics is given, only one or two lines per track. But I liked this album quite a lot, and I think it will come to be regarded as better than ’’Load’’ in the fullness of time.