Eagles Of Death Metal: Heart On

Eagles Of Death Metal is a simple band—the

kind whose idea of a concept album is illustrated, in full detail, by the words

that adorn the CD spine. So 2006's Death By Sexy was a lecherous crawl

through boogie-rock's, ahem, lower climes, while Heart On represents the planting

of something firm, high-altitude, and high-octane—albeit equally

lecherous and dealing almost exclusively in boogie-rock.

The new album differs from its predecessor in a

more concrete way as well. Even a band whose on-album aesthetic is as unfussy

as this one's—two dudes, a handful of riffs, lots of 'tude, loads of

'stache—can wind up in a creative slump. Last time around, main man Jesse

"The Devil" Hughes set out to hone his song-craft, as always with an eager

partner in Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme. But EODM thrives on

confidence, not exploration, and Heart On finds the pair plenty cocksure.

"Anything 'Cept The Truth" mines the Stones'

swagger and licks ("Brown Sugar," specifically) like only these Eagles can, "Cheap

Thrills" subsists on big riffs and falsettos, and "Prissy Prancin'" openly

praises a wigglin' and jigglin' ass over repetitive gee-tar grind. It's oddly

refreshing, and by playing to its strengths, EODM does manage to sneak in a few

new tricks. "High Voltage" is a compellingly kitschy amalgam of funk and blooze,

and "Solo Flights" might be the band's most introspective track yet. No

surprise that it's about masturbation.