RTX

Western Xterminator

[3.5/5] Jennifer Herrema’s post-Royal Trux unit, RTX, bowed with 2004’s Transmaniacon, whose idiosyncratic bubble-gum boogie baffled some diehard Trux fans. The follow-up, Western Xterminator, could well baffle fans of RTX’s debut. After a red-herring opening (a beautifully morose ballad with flowery folk-prog touches), Herrema and her band of shaggy, skinny white boys crunch and wallop down the hard-rockin’ path of least resistance. The bulk of Western Xterminator consists of rugged, Blue Öyster Cult-ish rock or stylized, shiny metal intended to provoke headbanging and devil-horn-waving. Expanded to a quintet, RTX create a massive sound, exemplified by "Restoration Sleep," its extravagant glam metal marked by ballsy ballast and glittery girth. It’s like a Joan Jett anthem ballooned to grotesque proportions. Xterminator is teenager music for people who were teenagers in the ’70s; or, alternately, arena rock for people who shun arena-rock shows. (DRAG CITY) Dave Segal