Ugly Kid Joe are Uglier Than They Used Ta Be

I was pretty stoked about the Ugly Kid Joe reunion… until I heard their 2012 EP, Stairway to Hell, which sounded like demos for an UKJ wannabe, which is weird, because there haven’t been any UKJ wannabes since like 1993.

Still, I am choosing to remain optimistic about the band’s first full-length in nineteen years, Uglier Than They Used Ta Be, mostly because the title and album art play heavily on my nostalgia for 1991’s As Ugly as They Wanna Be AND act as an accurate representation of my physical state in their respective years of release.

Also encouraging: the album will include guest appearance by Motörhead’s Phil Campbell. It’s on a cover of “Ace of Spades,” but still! Campbell wasn’t on the original “Ace of Spades,” so, uh, his cameo is not entirely, like, unnecessary or whatever. 

Also also encouraging: if drummer Shannon Larkin is doing this, than he can’t be doing Godsmack, at least for the time being. Any act that prevents Godsmack from making music is a mitzvah as far as I’m concerned.

Less encouraging, but still interesting: guitarist Sonny Mayo, formerly of Snot and Sevendust, has joined the band as a third guitarist. I was never a Snot fan and the 7D records on which Mayo appeared were mostly forgettable, but if nothing else, he’s a fun stage performer.

Uglier Than They Used Ta Be comes out October 16 via Metalville/UKJ Records.