XYZ wasn't the best heavy metal/hard rock band that came out of Los Angeles in the 1980s; the headbangers weren't in a class with Guns 'N Roses or
Mötley Crüe, although their work was generally decent. That is certainly true of
Hungry, which didn't go down in history as one of metal's all-time masterpieces but isn't a bad album either.
XYZ never claimed to be the most innovative band in the world, and
Hungry is far from groundbreaking. But while the material is derivative, it's also satisfying and enjoyable. The CD's most memorable and inspired tracks (which include "Face Down in the Gutter" and "When the Night Comes Down") point to the fact that when they really got going, the Angelinos did have a way with a hook and a riff. Also noteworthy is a forceful cover of Free's "Fire and Water." To its credit,
XYZ doesn't try to provide a carbon copy of the original -- the headbangers put their own spin on Free's song and demonstrate that "Fire and Water" could be relevant to the hair metal scene of 1991. Unfortunately for
XYZ and other hair bands, that scene wouldn't last much longer -- when Nirvana and
Pearl Jam exploded commercially in 1992 and alternative rock took over in a major way, hair bands like
XYZ suddenly found themselves being ignored by MTV. But that doesn't make
Hungry and other
XYZ releases any less decent. ~ Alex Henderson