From the sexual innuendos to the double entendres in both the band name and their song lyrics, it is clear that Love Cream hailing from Adelaide, South Australia don’t take themselves too seriously. Their music on the other hand is a different story and it is clear that these youngsters have been raised on a steady diet of AC/DC, KISS, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. Hard rock albeit with a modern influence is the name of the game and the conveniently titled opening track ‘Open for Business’ is a great introduction to the band, a pumping hard rocking track with high flying vocals in the vein of Michael Starr of Steel Panther fame.

The melodic rock ‘n’ roll and glam influenced ‘B.D.L’ or (Back Door Lover), is perhaps the greatest example of the Steel Panther influence of the band, especially in the lyrical department and contains a chorus that will no doubt get stuck in your head for days afterwards. Where songs such as ‘Spend the Night Together’, ‘Love Train’ and ‘Smokin’ Bitch’ show case the more straight up, no nonsense rock ‘n’ roll side of the band.

‘Hot in the Dark’ is a surprising change of pace and shows that Love Cream are no one trick pony. This track borders on the more pop rock side of the fence with a strong Rolling Stones influence. ‘Sweet May’ has all the hallmarks of the quintessential ballad track and the influence of producer Casey Jones (De La Cruz) is most prominently heard on this song, while a Deep Purple/The Doors styled groove propels the tongue firmly in cheek ‘Woman I’m Gay for your Lovin’’. Fans looking for something of the more hard rock variety need not worry though, as the rest of the album is rounded out by some solid hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll.

All in all First Taste is a solid debut record and clearly showcases a band that has musical maturity well beyond their relatively young age. Their ability to craft catchy and melodic hard rock anthems are their strong point, although they could perhaps benefit slightly from stepping out of the shadow of their collective influences, either way all signs point to a bright future for the band if their debut album is anything to go by.