Infestation is the seventh and final studio album by American glam metal band Ratt. It was released by Loud & Proud via Roadrunner Records, a then-sub-label of their longtime home Atlantic Records, on April 20, 2010. With the death of Robbin Crosby in 2002, guitar duty was taken over by Carlos Cavazo, formerly of Quiet Riot. The band would enter a turbulent period after the release of the album, and by 2018, all musicians had left except lead singer Stephen Pearcy.
In a February 17, 2010 interview with the Artisan News Service, Stephen Pearcy said of Infestation: "We wanted this to be like something that we would have written right after [1984's] Out of the Cellar. We definitely went back to basics with the mind set of a band with a lot of excitement and some great songs to get out."
In a March 18, 2010 interview with Metalholic Magazine, guitarist Warren DeMartini said of Infestation: "It really exceeded our expectations. Conceptually we kind of wanted to revisit the period of Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy. We were sort of loosely trying to shoot for something that could fit between those two records. We were looking for more uptempo ideas and the double leads that Robbin Crosby and I started doing back in 1983."
Contents
Release and commercial performance
The first single, "Best of Me" was released on February 2, 2010. It reached thirty-six on the Mainstream Rock Tracks in 2010. "Best of Me" was written by Stephen Pearcy, Carlos Cavazo, and Michael "Elvis" Baskette. When asked the meaning behind the lyrics in a December 30, 2009 interview, lead singer Stephen Pearcy said of "Best of Me": "This song was written for my wife (Melissa Pearcy). It's one of those where you always think the grass is greener on the other side, but in fact it isn't. I'm letting her know 'you're the best thing I got, but I had to go f--- around to figure it out.' It's one of those you don't know what you got till it's gone kind of things. With me, I go through this s--- every day. I'm married one day, then I'm not, but I am."
RATT's video for "Best of Me" was premiered worldwide March 22, 2010, on AOL. The video is a visual ode about today's 21st century mass media and information age overload mixed with unabridged live performance. The video also points to a bigger issue: younger kids on the outside looking in, trying to be part of the Ratt pack, and the overarching idea that infectious hooks can permeate all aspects of daily life. There's also family cameos, proving that not all relationships suffer because of rock 'n' roll. The video was released on March 29, 2010, on Metal Mania on VH1 Classic. The video directed by Andrew Bennett.
Infestation debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling around 14,000 copies. This makes it Ratt's highest-charting album since 1990. The album has since gone on to sell over 50,000 copies in the US.
Personnel
Ratt
Stephen Pearcy – lead vocals
Warren DeMartini – guitar, backing vocals
Carlos Cavazo – guitar, backing vocals
Robbie Crane – bass
Bobby Blotzer – drums
Production
Michael "Elvis" Baskette – producer, mixing, strings arrangements
Dave Holdredge – engineer, mixing, strings arrangements
Jef Moll – digital editing
Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City