Ratt Return to the Key Club for ‘Infestation’ Release Party

It might have been April 20, 2010, but if you were at the Ratt show this past Tuesday, you would have been convinced you walked into a time warp. Los Angeles' Key Club hosted the album release party/concert for 'Infestation,' the Sunset Strip legends' seventh studio album, and the setting was ideal. Through a set of classics and newer -- but no less killer -- material, Ratt wowed their hometown crowd with an energetic performance that found the veteran act proving they are way more than a whiff of nostalgia.

New cuts, like the stadium-ready 'Best of Me' and the sleazed-up 'Last Call,' proved that Ratt's songwriting is as focused and infectious as it was in the days they headlined arenas. Longtime guitarist Warren DeMartini sizzled on 'You're in Love' and pretty much anything else he laid his solos down on. But the revelation of the night was how much of an asset new co-guitarist Carlos Cavazo has been to the lineup. The former Quiet Riot axeman not only brought his tasteful playing to the fold, his melodic background vocals also fill out the group's sound during their humongous choruses.

The other part of the show that stuck out was how well the 'Infestation' stuff went over with the crowd. When many of Ratt's peers from the '80s glory days start rocking out their new material, it's usually a cue for fans to hit the bar. But when Ratt played their current single, 'Best of Me,' the entire audience seemed to be singing along with vocalist Stephen Pearcy. Now with the album in stores and the mighty machine of Roadrunner Records behind them, Ratt will be out on tour for the remainder of 2010. Whether you were born before the days they were on the cover of Circus Magazine or not, you shouldn't miss out on Ratt when they hit your city this time around.