Racer X is a band that some of you may already know from their albums “Superheroes” and “Technical Difficulties” that got some good feedback. Now releasing their third album, Racer X expand their territory into a bold mix of hard rock and 80’s hair metal with “Getting Heavier”. The line-up is one with pretty big names like drummer Scott Travis (Judas Priest), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) and John Alderete (The Screams), so my hopes for this record were set pretty high. “Getting Heavier”, a name that makes you wonder just how heavy Racer X can be, kicks off with the eerie track “Dr. X” that holds on to a dark atmosphere, yet filled with simplicity and boring drum work. When sampling a few tracks, you’ll get to know lots of faces of this band, including almost Jon Bon Jovi-resembling hard rock songs (“Go-GG-Go”, “Heaven In ‘74”). The band puffs on with a very dragging feel to their music that doesn’t make you want to get up and party. In fact, Racer X almost did the impossible; making me yawn when giving the album a listen! As for the production, the band’s front man Paul Gilbert did it all by himself, and unfortunately he did a very lousy job.

The sound is way too thick for the music that they play, with the drums sounding fatter than all of the other instruments, while the guitars are light as a feather, which makes it sound like it was recorded in one of the members’ garage. There’s nothing heavy about it, if you ask me. “Getting Heavier” doesn’t get heavy, or interesting anywhere. Sure, the music has its peaks, but nothing really worth mentioning. For a band that has been around for 18 years now, they don’t show any interesting elements in their music at all. The lyrics on the record don’t do the band any good as well. All of the words are so incredibly standard and are sung with the usual classic rock voice over and over again. The band might want to consider going their own separate ways, because there’s enough talent in those guys, just not in the band and their music. One short tip: Keep this album as far away as possible if you’re looking for an interesting and innovative band, because Racer X isn’t it.