Heart Attack

Hailing from San Francisco, you might assume Space Vacation play some brand of U.S. Metal but you'd be wrong. This trio takes their cues from the NWOBHM on their second album, Heart Attack. They play with a lot of energy but the muddy production gives the music that "garage" feel. The echo-soaked vocals are also typical of the NWOBHM and are delivered with more ambition than skill. Space Vacation has nailed the sound but with songwriting that is utterly generic. Heart Attack is an album that could have been released by a thousand other second-tier NWOBHM bands.

If re-releases of lost "gems" like Sledgehammer's Blood on Their Hands or Gaskin's No Way Out get your blood pumping, Heart Attack might be for you. Otherwise, there isn't much here you haven't already heard.