Dangerous Toys

When fans of Jason McMaster’s Texan prog-thrash outfit Watchtower first heard his follow-up project – which shared a name with a Control and Resistance track he didn’t even sing on – they probably didn’t expect his sinister screech in front of these hair metal harlequins. Adding a little southern charm to their Southern California-influenced sound helps them stand out. Singles “Teas’n Pleas’n” and “Sportin’ a Woody” make it seem like they have their minds (and, uh, other body parts) on one thing, but the Alice Cooper homage/alcoholism warning “Scared” may be one of the most chilling tunes the genre produced this side of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”