Madhouse are a very musically consistent band, All of their records to date have been great. Plead The 5th is their fourth full length album which follows their absolutely jaw dropping previous record Down N’ Dirty, That record took them to a whole new level and I wondered how the next one would compare, Would it live up to the high bar set by it’s predecessor? I’m happy to say it does not disappoint.
Plead the 5th is an absolute ass kicker of an album with loads of hooks, Searing riffs, Hard hitting drums, Snarling vocals, and loads of attitude…Or in other words everything you could want in a sleaze metal album.
The album wastes no time going right for the throat with “Midnight Fever” a track which charges at you like a pissed off bear, If Ratt and Hardcore Superstar had a musical baby you’d get something like this band. The riffs are powerful, Furious, and always catchy as hell and these guys know how to write a great chorus. A great start to the album.
“We Run Riot” starts out with some keys before going into some excellent grooving hard rock riffs courtesy of Mikky Stixx and Razor Raf , Singer Tommy Lovelace brings the fire over this badass track, The chorus hits even harder with gang vocals and there’s a killer guitar solo. If you ever want a song that feels like the vibe of a true rock n roll club then this song captures it perfectly. Easily one of the best songs on the album.
“Bring On The Night” feels musically somewhere between Crashdiet and Ratt, 80’s influenced and yet very much modern sleaze down to its bones. The tempo is a little slower than the prior two tracks but it still rocks, The rhythm section of bassist Rickey Dee and drummer Bobby B Bastard shines even more as a result of the tempo of this song. The chorus has an old school sunset strip feel that I love.
“Shotgun Rider” picks the pace back up with an hard hitting track dripping with sleaze. It’s grooving, Snarling, and absolutely commands your attention with killer riffs, Galloping drums, Searing vocals, and a wicked guitar solo. This is everything you could wish for in a sleaze metal song.
“Wicked Hearts” hides a subtle Def Leppard influence beneath Madhouse’s signature sleaze assault, Another great rocker that feels massive.
“Get A Grip” continues the momentum with a charging, Hard hitting track.
“Live And Tease” has the sort of stripper anthem feel that would make Warrant and Def Leppard proud, This one will rock your socks off and get your body moving at the same time.
“It’s A Monster In My Head” Is another case of a strong 80’s/early 90’s rocker that I might even compare slightly to Second Coming era Shotgun Messiah, Killer grooving riffs and an awesome guitar solo. Another one of the albums best tracks in my opinion.
“I’ll See You In My Dreams” changes things up with a power ballad, Existing somewhere between Tesla and Queensryche in my view. If I’m critiquing one thing on this otherwise great track it’s that when you have a power ballad you really need the wow factor in the guitar solo and it misses the mark here with a solo that mainly plays to the rhythm, A little more firepower from the lead would have put this one over perfectly. That aside, great song.
“Mad To The Bone” takes things back to street level and wastes no time getting there, This is the sort of fiery hard rock song I live for, Just an absolute fist in your face of a song that gets the adrenaline going. God, I’d love to hear this performed live. This is Madhouse doing what they do best.
“Loveplace” Starts off with beautiful clean electric acoustic picking which is accented and enriched by maybe the best bass line on the album and lead flourishes, Just when you think this is another power ballad it dispels that notion entirely and smacks you right out of tranquility, They ditch the ballad and go straight for the power. This song just hits all the right notes, everything here rocks and doesn’t stop until the end. Madhouse has a gift for mixing captivating, Powerful rhythms with a vicious sonic assault and this song is further proof of that.
“I Die Alone” has a bit of early Motley Crue in its sound, But way more badass than that band ever was. This song has a swagger to it, This is what you want from a great hard rock band. God, The playing on this song by the whole band is jaw dropping. Musically, Maybe the best song on the album.
“You Got The Tail Down” closes the album with an epic feeling track, This is vintage late 80’s hard rock at its arena packing heights but much harder. The rhythm section absolutely stuns on this song, Something this big is the way every rock band should end an album. Not unlike the way you would close out a rock show, Go out on a high note.
This is one hell of an album, It will kick your ass and have you coming back for more. Madhouse is on fire on this record, As high of praise as I continue to give their last record I think this one may have topped it. Anyone making their best of 2025 lists needs to hear this record, This should rank high for any fans of great hard rock music.
9/10