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Austria's High Heeler has been slogging away since 2000 and is finally seeing the release of a full-length debut album, courtesy of Swords and Chains Records. A band can reasonably be expected to hone their craft over 15+ years and High Heeler does a pretty good job with the riffs on Force and Finesse. The guitar sound is good and the production, a lo-fi, NWOBHM-style affair, suits the music quite well. The cover art is even of the politically incorrect, early 80s misogynistic variety. The songwriting isn't particularly strong, another aspect of Force and Finesse that gives it an old-school vibe, and if that were the only problem, this would be an album worth seeking out. The vocals, however, are atrocious. Singer Poison Poser (and that name is a problem before we even hear him sing) has a thin, toneless voice and he's either frequently flat or trying to sing terribly written vocal lines making most of the songs a true chore to endure. This album would have been better if it had been instrumental.

I don't want to dissuade a band that's been toughing it out for as long as High Heeler has, but unless they address the vocal shortcomings on future releases, I won't recommend them any more than I recommend this one, which I do not.