On the face of it, FerreTT are probably a group of musicians who decided to parody glam metal while under the influence of something - upon sobering up, it may have seemed a bad idea, the solution to which was, apparently, taking more of whatever it was they were high on in the first place. Regardless, whatever this organisations secret agenda, the first feeling induced in me, and no doubt many to discover their tender melodies, was a strong sense of "What the fuck is going on here". To tell the truth, I'm still far from certain, but when it comes down to it, the sleaze-laden vocals and surprisingly catchy guitar lines, which fit somewhere between glam and more down to earth traditional metal are actually enjoyable to listen to. The album is an undeniably raucous, vastly inappropriate and at times truly hilarious ride. Perhaps this is exactly what I should have been expecting from a band called FerreTT, or indeed an album called "Year of the Ferret". The sheer over-the-top, larger than life oddness of the album is delightful and very refreshing, somehow earning a real credibility through sheer ridiculousness. To describe it differently, the album is the musical equivalent of having your mind stripped away by experiencing childhood cartoons as an adult, and realising how very, very odd they were. Frankly, any band who offer deluxe-editions of the album signed and with a personalised message by "Sammi the Ferret" - ostensibly also the bands drummer, are going to turn some heads.
Perhaps the best part of it all is that the album has all of the features which makes the cheesiest 80's glam so thoroughly enjoyable. Ballsy, attitude filled songs with infectious riffs and fist-pumping choruses, but also epic ballads, such as "Cry of the black-footed Ferret" which, odd themes aside, could do any 80's power-ballad proud. The songs aren't just throw-away gimmicks, but are actually quite thought-out, solid, and well-formed - certainly, the album feels like a worthwhile endeavour to listen to from start to finish, and flows well, accordingly. The thoroughly tongue-in-cheek lyrics really feel well worth listening to, too - as the songs go by, I found myself looking forward to the humour and deliberate cliché blended with parody concoction which the lyrics manifest themselves as. The song titles really speak for themselves, with catchy numbers such as "My Cock... Your Funeral" and "Ferrets in Town", neither of which phrases I ever expected to type-out, and neither of which you ever expected to read. Ultimately, the combination of solid musicianship, amusing lyrics and catchy songs really makes for an album which I can wholeheartedly, and a little unexpectedly, say that I greatly enjoyed. Especially the super-unexpected tech-death intro on one track in particular...
Ultimately, FerreTT aren't a band to be taken seriously. You probably shouldn't for legal reasons. Nonetheless, Year of the Ferret is one of the most fun and bizarre albums I've listened to in months, and I can't fault the band for that.
Probably better than Steel Panther. 8/10.
Links:
FerreTT on Bandcamp
FerreTT on Facebook
