Review : BIG BALL – “Hotter Than Hell”

Big Ball- Hotter Than Hell
released March 19, 2010 on AFM Records

Rating: 2.5/5

Big Ball is a German band that has a very, very strong AC/DC influence in their sound. At first, I thought that they were a glorified cover/club band but after a few listens, it may be fair to say that they just enjoy aping the AC/DC sound in more of a manner of tribute than out-right ripoff. Being that the real band has chosen to water-down their sound further, much like other older rockers, Big Ball tries to offer something new to fans of this sub-style.

The song titles are cliched and not much of a surprise. “Double Demon” starts this off with nothing more than blues-based, uptempo hard rock that sounds like they mish-mashed several different AC/DC songs into one.  They certainly know their chops, though it’s obvious that the singer isn’t anywhere near Brian Johnson’s level and certainly would never be able to touch Bon Scott.

“Big Ball Crew” seems to offer slightly more than a typical knock-off sound with harder riffs and epic drumming. The rest of the album sounds pretty much cookie-cutter to me. Don’t get wrong, an album like this could be fun if you’ve always been a fan of AC/DC but haven’t really gotten into them for a while like myself. However, why listen to Big Ball when you could just dig up your vinyl copies of Back in Black or For Those About To Rock and give them a spin? I think I know what I want to do when I get a new turntable. Again, if you want some fun, check this out but don’t look for depth because you won’t find it here.

FCC: unsure
Try: 1, 3, 4, 7

01. Double Demon
02. Porna Lisa
03. Big Ball Crew
04. Killdozer
05. Free Fire Zone
06. Hell Whores & High Heels
07. Hotter Than Hell
08. Shooter
09. Plugged In
10. Wrecking Ball
11. Groove Monster Machine
12. Rock N Roll Stomper
13. Riding With The Devil