Another Hostile Takeover is more polished than its predecessors, and more immediately gratifying with punchy mixes that emphasise the loud dual-guitars and vocals and, for the most part, guitarist Andy McCoy and frontman Mike Monroe are up to the task. 'Love,' 'Hurt' and 'Better High' are reminiscent of the latter-day Aerosmith and New York Dolls, but 'The Devil In You' is an unexpected but rewarding flirtation with electronic beats that recalls Savage Garden and Duran Duran at their most melodic.
'Dear Miss Lonely Hearts,' a cover of a Phil Lynott original, is a highlight, as are the two ballads: 'Centre of my Universe' and 'No Compromise, No Regrets,' the former Andy McCoy's lament to his dead wife, and the latter the last track Mike Monroe wrote with his wife before she herself died. The over-polished production of Another Hostile Takeover occasionally makes the songs less powerful than they should be, but Hanoi Rocks can be forgiven for losing the run of themselves somewhat. As rock legends they're entitled to, and when the highs are this high, it's difficult to complain too much.
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