Since Nirvana's Nevermind pretty much killed glam-metal,
the Nymphs' self-titled (and only) album might well be the last great glam-metal album. Released the same year as Nevermind, female lead singer
Inger Lorre shares
Kurt Cobain's sense of angst, a sense that was absent from most glam. In "Wasting My Days," Lorre sings, "Talk to myself, cuz I'm the only one that understands," deviating from typical male glam topics like sex and partying. Like Nevermind, this album has a punk rock influence (
Iggy Pop even makes a cameo on "Supersonic"), but guitarists Jet and Sam Merrick don't hesitate to play effects-heavy riffs. The music matches Lorre's lyrics: the druggy world of "Sad and Damned"; the condemnation of sycophants in "2 Cats"; and her love/hate relationship with Christianity in "The River" and "Heaven." This album could have reached the success level of
Jane's Addiction, possibly, if the group hadn't disbanded right after the records release. Unfortunately,
Nymphs has achieved a level of obscurity it never should have. ~ Brian Flota