Freakazoid is the fifth album from Swedish band Mennen. While they are well known in Europe and Japan, this might be the first time many music fans in America have heard of the group. They were formed in 1994 when Joss Mennen (hence the name) left the band Zinatra. He set out to create a musical style that was more metal oriented than the melodic hard rock that was the mainstay of that outfit.

With Freakazoid the group has created an intriguing mix of material. While much of it is definitely heavy metal, the flavorings are all over the musical map. One can pick up at least slight nods to the sounds of such diverse artists as Duran Duran, Asia, The Police, Rush, Queensryche and The Cure. The end result is a sound that is all Mennen. While some of these songs suffer from sounding too much like the rest of the material, this is still a very listenable and potent disc. There is a certain awkwardness to some of the material, otherwise this would be very mainstream and almost pop oriented in its delivery. Overall, this is a good, but not great release.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2005 Year Book Volume 3 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2005.