Debut albums rarely come as ambitious as the Manic Street
Preachers' Generation Terrorists. Released in England as a double album (it was
trimmed to the length of a single record in America), the album teemed with
slogans, political rhetoric, and scarily inarticulate angst. Since the Manics
deliver these charged lyrics as heavy guitar-rockers, the music doesn't always
hit quite as forcefully as intended. The relatively polished production and big
guitar sound occasionally sell the music short, especially the lesser songs,
yet the Manics' passion is undeniable, even on the weaker cuts. While the album
is loaded with a little bit too much unrealized material in retrospect, its
best moments -- the fiery "Slash N' Burn," "Little Baby Nothing,"
the incendiary "Stay Beautiful," the sardonic "You Love
Us," and the haunting "Motorcycle Emptiness" -- capture the
Manics in all their raging glory.
