The Ultimate Sin, originally titled Killer Of Giants, is the last album to feature Jake E. Lee on guitars. On Bass is Phil Soussan and on Drums is the mighty Randy Castillo, with Mike Moran on keyboards.

I picked this album up for one reason and one reason only: Shot In The Dark. It was the best f*cking song I had heard in a long time when it hit. The main riff and the little bridge before the solo was so damn cool with the slides. The entire song just kicked ass and I found a new guitar god to worship in Jake. I was aware of him with Bark At The Moon, but because I never picked it up, I was still in the dark about him as a player.

The album as a whole is definitely in the mold of Glam Metal, very pop-centric and in line with other Hair bands of the day (KISS, Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt, etc...). The production/mix I think fails in large part because of Producer Ron Nevison. It's no secret how much I hate the guy and what he did on KISS (Crazy Nights) 1987, which I consider to be one of the worst KISS records ever.

I have to clarify that I don't hate the songs on The Ultimate Sin. And the guitar playing by Jake is nothing short of f*cking awesome. My bone of contention is in the production, sound wise. So, do I recommend this one? It's hard to say. If you want rip roaring solos and tasty riffs, then hell f*cking yeah pick it up. But a Pop-Ozzy may be a bit much and the mix is something you will have to consider in the long run. The man himself has disowned the album all together, to the point of actually removing it from his catalog. So, take from that what you will.

Jakes ferocious guitar playing gives this a much higher rating than it should get with Nevison's horrid production.

Fave songs: The Ultimate Sin, Lightning Strikes and Shot In The Dark.

FYI, that's Dweezil Zappa in the Shot In The Dark video for those that have never seen the video before. And if you don't know who Dweezil is, then I suggest you turn in your music credentials at the door on the way out. The album cover ftw!!  I've always loved the artwork for this one.