Helltown [CD]

2018 release. Helltown, the third album by Electric Citizen, is, in many ways, a homecoming. While the title may seem fittingly metal (if not exceedingly so), it actually has real relevance. Helltown, while also multidimensional, is named after the Cincinnati, OH, neighborhood in which the band lives, practices, and where the album was written, recorded and mixed. Now known more prosaically as Northside, Helltown earned it's name in the 1800s due to it's reputation for rowdy taverns frequented by the neighborhood of factory workers and immigrants. Inasmuch as this album is an ode to the band's home and it's buried past, it also represents a return to the grittier sound of their 2014 debut, Sateen. Furthermore, it marks the return of original bassist Nick Vogelpohl, who rejoins vocalist Laura Dolan, guitarist Ross Dolan and drummer Nate Wagner. It's a fun, tough, dirty rock 'n' roll album.