Street Lethal

Street Lethal is the first studio album by the American heavy metal band Racer X, released on January 1, 1986 through Shrapnel Records.[1] The instrumental track "Y.R.O." stands for "Yngwie Rip-Off", as it bears similarities to "Black Star" by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen (from his 1984 album Rising Force), with an almost identical bassline. It later appeared in the 2009 video game Brütal Legend.[2]

Street Lethal
Cover art by Guy Aitchison
Studio album by
Racer X
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1986 (1986-01-01)
StudioPrairie Sun Recording, Cotati, California
Genre
Length35:35
LabelShrapnel
Producer
Racer X chronology
Street Lethal
(1986)		 Second Heat
(1987)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal6/10[4]
Kerrang![5]
Rock Hard9.0/10[6]

In a contemporary review, Paul Henderson of Kerrang! found Street Lethal "a pretty good album despite the occasional over-emphasis on 'melt-down' guitar pyrotechnics"; he praised the song structures, which he thought would more likely turn up on a Van Halen album, and the band's musicianship which "would put to shame many of the so-called 'big names' of heavy rock."[5] Because of Jeff Martin's vocals and Paul Gilbert's rhythmic guitar work, Rock Hard reviewer found similarities with the early works of Japanese bands Anthem and Loudness and concluded that "if you are on speed metal with level and melody, you can also blindly access this product from Mike Varney's inexhaustible talent supply".[6]

Andy Hinds at AllMusic called Street Lethal "essentially a showcase for then teenaged guitar prodigy Paul Gilbert" and "skillfully executed, Judas Priest-style metal". Martin's singing was also likened to that of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and the rhythm section praised for "their part in maintaining the excitement." Hinds recommended the album for fans of shred, saying that it "has plenty to drool over."[3] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff appreciated Paul Gilbert's rocking guitar "not in the classical fugue state so prevalent on other shred records" and the mix of speed metal with "sturdy party rock songs."[4]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Frenzy" (instrumental)Paul Gilbert1:45
2."Street Lethal"Gilbert, Jeff Martin3:41
3."Into the Night"Gilbert, Martin3:34
4."Blowin' Up the Radio"Gilbert, Martin3:10
5."Hotter Than Fire"Steve Fontano, Martin, Mark Lehman3:02
6."On the Loose"Gilbert, Martin3:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Loud and Clear"Gilbert, Martin3:42
8."Y.R.O." (instrumental)Gilbert3:13
9."Dangerous Love"Gilbert, Martin3:13
10."Getaway"Gilbert, Martin3:10
11."Rock It"Gilbert, Martin3:58
Total length:35:35

Personnel

Racer X

Technical

References
  1. "Music: Street Lethal". Racer X Band.com. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  2. Williams, Ryan (9 August 2009). "The most metal game soundtrack ever unveiled". Brutal Legend.net. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  3. Hinds, Andy. "Racer X - Street Lethal review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  4. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 277. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  5. Henderson, Paul (26 June 1986). "Racer X - 'Street Lethal'". Kerrang!. No. 123. p. 12.
  6. Kühnemund, Götz (1987). "Review Album: Racer X - Street Lethal". Rock Hard (in German). No. 23. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
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