After expanding their sonic palette quite a bit on 'OU812' three years earlier, 1991's 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' found Van Halen delivering a much more straightforward set of guitar-heavy rockers.
There's no country-rockers or sugary ballads here, nor any trace of the keyboards that colored the band's last three albums. Other than the piano on the rousing anthem 'Right Now,' and the brief, tender instrumental tribute to then-newborn current bassist Wolfgang Van Halen ('316'), this album is all about riff-driven uptempo numbers and relatively simple (if not innocent) themes.
Eddie Van Halen shows off another fine trick by taking a power drill to his guitar for the album-opening 'Poundcake,' then goes on a surfing safari in the middle of the absolutely smoking 'Judgement Day.'
You've also got big sing-a-longs like 'Runaround' and 'Top of the World,' you got the prog-rock mysticism of 'Pleasure Dome,' you've got horny anthems like 'Spanked' and 'Man on a Mission,' you've got.. well, you've got a touch choice on your hands. What's your favorite Van Halen 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' song?