Wet Animal

The bluesy, retro-minded hard rock captured on Wet Animal's lone self-titled album from 2005 holds little distinction on its own merits. What stands out instead is the group's impressive lineage, assembled by guitarist Rick Wartell and drummer Jeff Olson, both alumni of the storied American doom band Trouble. Vocalist Shane Pasqualla joined them, along with then-Trouble bassist Ron Holzner at the outset, when the project first took shape in 1995 as a side endeavor. After lying inactive for an extended stretch, the group resurfaced in 2003 with Michael DiPrima stepping in on bass. This lineup finally committed the record to tape at the precise moment when groundwork for Trouble's long-awaited reunion began to form, leaving the prospects for any future Wet Animal activity in doubt.