NIGHT SPECTRE - Self Titled LP review

 

NIGHT SPECTRE - Self Titled LP

Dying Victims Productions

So this is the debut full length by a Greek five piece act who are on a nostalgia trip back to the late 1980's. Well hell yeah I like it and I'll get into name dropping later which needs to be addressed. But first I must admit that the promo info given to me was kinda cool. "NIGHT SPECTRE was forged in 2024, when a group of stubborn metalheads united with one goal, to unleash pure old-school heavy metal, burning with passion and true devotion."

Yeah I'll give em that but in all honesty this sounds like early IRON MAIDEN meets JAG PANZER. That was also mentioned in the promo info. So in essence this is first wave Power Metal. You've got the galloping riffs by the Brits with the US power heavy assault and hollowed vocals. In the end it pretty much rules. 

NIGHT SPECTRE basically are traveling on familiar territory which has been forgotten as far as original intent. In other words it's one thing to see / hear a band from the past replay their old stuff live. It's better when you see / hear a new band play that same sound which cranked you up decades ago and does it again. 

So yeah this release rules! 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/night-spectre

TYRANN - Tyrann Forever review

 

TYRANN - Tyrann Forever

Dying Victims Productions

Electric Assault Records

OK so I know I'm old but I am not senile, yet. I know it's 2026 but listening to this release you would think it's 1986. The opening cut on here, "Born for Hell", could've easily appeared on one of those Metal Blade compilations from back then. So yeah we're talking about some fuckin nostalgia sound here. But there's a reason for that which will come about a few lines down. 

This is the third full length from TYRANN, a four piece act who hail from Stockholm, Sdewen. They've been around since 2018 and besides the full lengths they've released a bunch of short form releases as well. Musically it's 1980's Hard Rock / Heavy Metal. And for someone like myself was around back then this just sounds so fuckin cool. but hey the members of this band are not strange to nostalgia.

Something important to mention is that the band members of TYRANN are or where in some cool bands I liked before. For example you've got bassist / vocalist Tobias Lindqvist who use to be in ENFORCER. Drummer Jakob Ljungberg was also in ENFORCER as well as TRIBULATION. Just for the record I like TRIBULATION's first album when they were an Old School Death Metal band. What came out afterwards I'm not a fan of.

But next we've got on guitars Adam Zaars who is in TRIBULATION as well as being once in ENFORCER as well as REPUGNANT. And finally there's Joseph Tholl on guitar who was also in ENFORCER and is still in TRIBULATION.

 

Now I'm not saying what these guys are doing makes TYRANN sound like equals to the big heavies of that era. But as far as the second tier bunch or what we called the Underground Metal scene back in the day. Yeah this four piece would've been huge. I mean you've got great vocals. The riffs are decent and the guitar solos are cool. In all honesty it's like a pre-ENFORCER. By the way this is a split release between ELECTRIC ASSAULT RECORDS who are doing the vinyl and DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS who are releasing this on CD.

https://dying-victims.de/

http://electricassaultrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tyrann-forever

SKRACKEN - Echoes from the Void review

 

SKRACKEN - Echoes from the Void

Dying Victims Productions

I don't know if I've said it yet but in all honesty 2025 is the year of female fronted Metal. Seriously there are so many cool releases this year with women singing on em. And here's another one which took a second look. Honestly the first time I checked out this Swedish band's debut full length I thought it was OK with a bunch of notes written about it. 

Fast forward a few weeks I returned to it and now can say it's a damm good release which needs your attention. First off the genre tagline here is Hard Rock / Heavy Metal. OK sure I'll go with that but these Swedes know some Post Punk circa late 80's. The song writing on here conveys a dark expanse. SKRACKEN just remind me of some 1990's bands who I liked but never scratched the surface of above the underground music scene. 

When you hear Sofie Lee Johansson's vocals it's like a part blues, another is angst ridden Post Punk fuckin Rock and then it's straight up Hard fuckin Rock vocals. Now of course every song on here is her interpretation through the riffs / song structures by guitarists Sebastian Lindberg and Martin Nordin. Tracks like "By His Word" and "House of Greed" are totally rocking dynamic. But then you'll get the soulful melodic number "Witch" which opens up the environment.

Add to that "Her Presence" comes across as a cool rocking 80's Metal number but Sofie Lee Johansson's vocals just take it to the hilt. Plus the song writing is just damm good. "Sweet Silence" is also a damm cool rocker. I mean all in all this album's nine tracks (actually it's eight since the first cut in an instro opener) are damm good. Echoes from the Void is a solid album. I look forward to hearing more from em in the future.

 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-the-void

SIGN OF THE JACKAL - Heavy Metal Survivors review

 

SIGN OF THE JACKAL - Heavy Metal Survivors

Dying Victims Productions

So imagine if you will ENFORCER, who are a NWOBHM revival act, also influenced by early MOTLEY CRUE (pre Shout at the Devil) and with a female vocalist. Does that sound fuckin cool or am I crazy? Alright just for the record I've been called crazy multiple times in my life. And a lot of that came from people I consider close friends, work colleagues and veterans I've served with in the military. I'm not going to get into that latter part.  

But anyways this is the third full length by Italy's SIGN OF THE JACKAL a five piece true heavy metal act that's been around since 2008. The first time I blasted this album my thoughts were that these people love it all metal from both sides of the pond. And they have found a way to combine two totally different styles of classic 80's metal into one strong sound. 

There's plenty of NWOBHM influences as well as 80's US metal signature sounds. Almost every song on here has this opening where you're guessing what's gonna hit ya. Historically that's what we loved back in the 80's and it's cool now in the 2000's. I mean good rockin stuff with cool guitar soloing. The lead vocals are falsetto with gang vocal chorus's, hello 1980's. 

In the end this is a surprise release which makes the metal head in you go holy shit! I wanna see this band live. I mean fuck all of their early  releases. I wanna see em on stage now. Be that as it may on this album SIGN OF THE JACKAL just fuckin rules.    

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-metal-survivors

JUDAS PRIEST - Invincible Shield review

 

JUDAS PRIEST - Invincible Shield

Sony Music

So let's get my truth and legacy out of the way. I got into PRIEST in the 1970's and if you asked me about my all time favorite albums from them I'd say three of em are from the 70's era of the band. OK just for the record they are Sad Wings of Destiny, Hell Bent for Leather and Stained Class. Also that's the order I bought em in. As far as the 80's go I was still a huge PRIEST fan and as much as I like a few albums from that era I still say Screaming for Vengeance is their best album from that decade. 

When the 1990's came in you got Painkiller which is an album I still like. I won't say it was a great album but decent. And after listening to this new one, their nineteenth studio album, I will say Halford and company still like that album as well. Looking back a few years ago I said that Firepower was the true successor to Painkiller which means all of those albums inbetween were just fodder. Now with Invincible Shield it's a combination of Painkiller and Defenders of the Faith plus some of the solo HALFORD stuff.

Invincible Shield is the second album which should be referred to as the modern era of JUDAS PRIEST. And you have to admit that they're doing better than their contemporaries. Add another fact which is after Painkiller you had the non Halford era of PRIEST (aka: the Tim "Ripper" Owens' albums), then Halford's solo stuff (which was pretty good aka: FIGHT & HALFORD), then a slew of bad PRIEST albums. So Firepower was the comeback and Invincible Shield is the follow-up. 

Now with that explanation out of the way I think Invincible Shield is a good metal album. Halford sounds great as if it was the 1980's. I like how Glenn Tipton's creative influence still reigns on plenty of these tracks. There's more of a mid-tempo riff package on half of the songs. While on the other hand it's a Richie Faulkner guitar solo show. Just a reminder Scott Travis is the best drummer PRIEST has had since Les Binks. 

The bottom line is that this is a good PRIEST album. It's actually a traditional PRIEST style album in that you've got a heavy first side to the album. While the second side has one or two good tracks but ends with filler. The best tracks on here in my not so humble opinion are "The Serpent and the King", the title track, "Gates of Hell", and "As God Is My Witness".

With that said sure it's good for 2024 but as a PRIEST fan I'm still stuck a few decades ago as far as my favorite music by this band. I guess that's my way of saying to the haters yeah you can have it both ways. You can appreciate the new but still love the past. Nuff Said.

 

https://www.sonymusic.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urg9aJ3V7HE

KNIGHT & GALLOW - For Honor And Bloodshed review

 

KNIGHT & GALLOW - For Honor And Bloodshed

No Remorse Records

Here's a new band from California who are part of something which I like to call making America metal again. Now don't get me wrong. Here in the states we're metal as fuck. But hey I'm an older fan and as much as I like the various genres. I really like to hear something old school and traditional. 

So this is the debut album by KNIGHT & GALLOW, a five piece act from Sacramento, California. Who on here pretty much nail the whole fantasy Heavy Metal magazine meets the music scenario. The vocals, by Nick Chambers, are clean, decent and not generic. The song craft by this band with it's innovative style versus the traditional pace is damm cool.

While listening to this the first time I wondered if it was a long lost act from the 80's. Yeah the production is 80's all the way. And musically it all reminds me of a cross between CIRITH UNGOL and MANILLA ROAD with better vocals of course. 

The songs on here, all nine of em, have decent rhythms and fiery solos. A few times there's some soaring rocking style cuts like "Stormbringer's Call". And then there's numbers which hold you in balance like "Men Of The West". All in all a great debut album and hey raise that horned fist for metal and this band.  

https://www.noremorse.gr/

LISTEN HERE:

https://knightandgallow.bandcamp.com/album/for-honor-and-bloodshed

LADY BEAST - OMENS EP review

 

LADY BEAST - OMENS EP

Reaper Metal Productions

While still at a time when their 2020 full length, The Vulture's Amulet, is ringing in ears because of it's greatness. Pittsburgh, PA's LADY BEAST decide to drop a new five song EP on fans. Basically this is four new tunes plus a cover of RAINBOW's "Kill the King". This EP also features new bassist Amy Bianco. 

Musically the band hasn't changed sound wise from their last album. Basically it's classic sounding 80's era metal with good riffs, decent guitar soloing plus the strong vocals by Deborah Levine. In a better world a song like "Reaper" would be blasting on FM radio. Then again I thought the same with some of the songs off of their full length. As far as their cover goes it's decent. All in all here's another must own LADY BEAST release.

https://www.reapermetalproductions.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ladybeast.bandcamp.com/album/omens

WOLF - Feeding the Machine review

WOLF - Feeding the Machine 


Century Media Records





Can I just say this sucks and be done with it? I guess not. Anyways let me tell ya I am a fan of Sweden's WOLF. Their 2006 release, The Black Flame, is definitely in my all time playlist of fucking true metal. Their early stuff is OK and I did like 2009's Ravenous. But after that they got repetitive since they found their formula and pushed the repeat button. Yeah I understand the theory. If AC/DC and MOTORHEAD can do it why not them?


So I was hoping that this their eighth full length would be better. I mean it's been six years since their last one and ya gotta hope for the best with your fave bands. Unfortunately with the exception of a few catchy tunes, which was their formula. I'm kinda pissed because this mostly blows. Once again it all sounds programmed by a computer. Great cover art at least but the title should've been Created By Machine. At least I still have The Black Flame to blast. 





https://www.centurymedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/officialwolf

LUCIFER - Lucifer III review

LUCIFER - Lucifer III

Century Media Records




They're still on Century Media which makes two for em so far. I wonder how long that record contract goes? Anyways I've never been a fan of LUCIFER for a variety of reasons. But in the hope of understanding why I'll explain. The singer's previous band, THE OATH, was like a wanna-be doom version of ABBA. You had the two guys and two hot women in leather. The music was average but the hiptard hoi-poloi media went apeshit over em.


But then that band broke up and their singer, Johanna Sadonis, was placed in front of another good group of musicians which went by the name LUCIFER. Their first album was on an indie label and had so many borrowed riffs/song ideas that not even the hiptards went along with it. Century Media picked em up after that hoping a female fronted act would sell. The singer's husband Nicke Andersson (HELLACOPTERS, ENTOMBED) got on board and the results of that album were not very good. Once again it was average sounding female fronted hard rock.


So here we have their third album and honestly it's mediocre sounding hard rock/heavy metal. Thirty some years ago a guy with eyeliner would be singing this stuff. But at least they wouldn't be obviously ripping off so many past songs from non metal acts. If you liked their second album then you'll like this as well since it sounds just like it. Although Johanna's vocals sound as if she recorded them on her smart phone. Too bad I can't mock the videos the band did for this album. That would take a paragraph or two.




https://www.centurymedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/luciferofficial

JUDGEMENT - Self Titled EP review

JUDGEMENT - Self Titled EP

Metal Scrap Records




METALLICA is coming to town later this summer. I'm not going but if I was and had a chance to ask James Hetfield a question it would be like this. "James, you use to play thrash a long time ago, so what do you think about bands from all over the world playing thrash as if it was still 1984?" Chances are he'd call security to haul my belligerent ass away.


Now with that said it's a fact that in other parts of the world thrash is still a vibrant force. Case in point here we have the debut release by Serbia's JUDGEMENT. Even though it's just a five song release it packs a lot of punch and contains more excitement then some full lengths I've heard this year. They're not a traditional thrash act. In fact they mix in plenty of classic true metal overtones which I love. Their song "Metal Warriors" sounds like it should've came out in 1982 instead of 2018.



JUDGEMENT are a five piece act, (two guitarists, bass player, drummer and a singer who can wail as well as push real guy vocals.) Their songs are up with the times, for example "Slaves of Technology". The band also delves into more philosophical lyrical territory. Add to that they also know how to layer in some modern progressive elements, fine melodic soloing along with galloping riffs. I believe they like IRON MAIDEN as well as some Euro power metal acts. A very good start.


https://metalscraprecords.com/

https://metalscraprecords.bandcamp.com/album/judgement-judgement

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudgement/

VIGILANCE - Hammer of Satan's Vengeance review

VIGILANCE - Hammer of Satan's Vengeance

Dying Victims Productions




Meanwhile in Slovenia we have this four piece act who are dubbed the new wave of blackened heavy metal. I know a guy in Canada who's head will spin when he reads that. So anyways VIGILANCE do mix traditional NWOBHM sounds with a mild touch of black metal aesthetics. The band has been kickin it for a decade now. Hammer of Satan's Vengeance is their third full length over that time. 

There's some good and bad going on here. When their singer attempts a heavy metal scream, while having a gruff singing voice normally, it's criminal. "As the Fires Burn" is a perfect example of this failure. Dude you're not Halford or King Diamond. On the plus side, musically this is pretty cool. They do have a certain early MAIDEN flair on a few cuts. Maybe if they dropped the blackened seasoning and stuck with tradition it would all be better. 

https://www.dying-victims.de/

https://vigilanceofficial.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VigilanceAdelsberg/

LEMMY - Born to Lose Live To Win review

LEMMY - Born to Lose Live To Win

Cleopatra Records

Whenever some famous star in the music industry dies people will try to make a buck off of their memory by pilfering the archives of said musician to come up with something fans and collectors will gobble up. This is just one of many more Limited Edition releases dedicated to Lemmy Kilmister. This one's six songs on colored vinyl culled from various places. I know the live MOTORHEAD cover of "Train Kept A Rollin" is from their England 1978 album. The cover of "Something Else" is from The Head Cat - Rock N Roll Riot on The Sunset Strip release with Lemmy hooking up with Slim Jim Phantom of the STRAY CATS doing rockibilly covers. 

Other cuts on here include Lemmy hooking up with Jake E. Lee of OZZY fame covering ACDC's "It’s A Long Way To The Top". Lemmy also works with Nugent on QUEEN's "Tie Your Mother Down". There's a couple others but you get the idea. Except for the cut with NUGENT this isn't a big grabber.

Rating: 2/5

https://cleopatrarecordsmotrhead.bandcamp.com/album/born-to-lose-live-to-win

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMotorhead/

METALLICA - Hardwired To Self Destruct review

METALLICA - Hardwired To Self Destruct

Blackened Recordings

Review by Andy

In the world of metal. The word the band. Every bodies got a opinion. Like it or not. They are a legend. Also a disgrace to some.  Also the face of heavy metal. To the squares that really don't like or understand metal.  A sellout to some.  Most true old school metal heads gave up on em years ago. Lost respect years ago.  To Me it was never really a matter of losing respect. I kinda do actually respect a band with the courage and talent to evolve and change and push limits over the years. Its just that I rarely liked anything they did after say. $5.98 Garage Days ep.  

And Justice For All & the Black album. Were still metal. Just really boring and over played to Me. After that they did a lot of dumb shit. Part of Me respects a weird collaberation with Lou Reed. But then again I never actually heard it. And You just know it was dumb as shit.  And seeing that movie Some Kind Of Monster ? WTF?  That was sad. How could this be the same band that melted My face on the Ride The Lightning & Master Of Puppets tours?  Yes I feel that those early albums rule. Ride The Lightning is as essential as any metal album ever recorded. 

So here We are in 2016. Got Myself a free copy of the new Metallica.  This albums already gonna get a million reviews & opinions. More attention in 10mins on any given day. Then My band and most of My friends bands will get all year.  So why am I reviewing it?  Well most people reviewing it don't know shit about metal. They are phoneys . I'm real. They are false. I feel as a guy who was there in the begining. Seeing them in their early tours. Being there when thrash was first rising.  my opinion on Metallica anything is more important. Then 99% of the other fools commenting. First Is Metallica true or false metal? Hard to say. This album is certainly a actual return to heavy metal for them. Did they do it for respect & money? Or did they do it because they actually felt like playing real heavy metal again?  Who knows.

The first controversy surrounding this album. Is the album cover. Its said that Metallica blatently ripped off. Crowbar's Odd Fellows Rest album cover. Check out the picture.  Pretty funny.  Too Me both album covers are pretty dumb. The whole package of this 3 CD album is pretty dumb. About 20 different pictures. All variations of the same album cover.  Unimpressed.  So the imortant part? The music. How is it? Well good value for money I guess. Its three full CDs of Metallica. The first disc has 2-3 decent songs. I dig the title track Hardwired To Self Destruct.  Also Atlas Rise & Moth To Flame. The rest is boring filler. 

The second CD even worse. Only one song impresses Me.  Spit Out The Bone, Its probably the best thing they have done since Master Of Puppets. Well maybe not that good. But still shows they can pull at least one Metallica classic out of a 3 disc album LOL. Disc 2 also has their Lemmy tribute song Murder One. Which to Me is a total fail. Lyricaly kind of dumb. Even worse its a mid paced snoozefest musically. Its not tributing Lemmy musically in anyway I can understand. They knew Him not Me. So maybe I'm the dumbass here? But whatever. I just don't expect a song tributing Lemmy to suck. But it does LOL. 

Onto disc 3.  Now this made the album worth it for Me. First You get new Metallica original Lords Of Summer.  Another decent one. Better then most of the songs on the first two discs. Then You get the Ronnie Rising medley. 3 Great covers of Dio era Rainbow. They do a great job. Best thing on the whole album. Then they cover Deep Purple & Iron Maiden.  Again doing a great job. The rest of the disc. Is a recent live recording of Metallic performing in a record store. For Record Store Day.  The great thing about it. Is that its all old classics from Kill Them All and Ride The Lightning.  So over all . to Me this album is only really worth it for the third disc. 

Andy's Rating: 3/5

https://metallica.com/store

https://www.facebook.com/Metallica

SPECTRAL - Arctic Sunrise review

SPECTRAL - Arctic Sunrise

 Boersma  Records

These days there's at least a ton of bands doing the whole Viking, Black, Power, Thrash and Heavy Metal thing. I mean it's gotten insane with all the bandwagon jumping especially from where these bands are from. Believe it or not there's even one from here in North Carolina. Years ago I remember reviewing a release from a Pagan Viking Black Metal band from Argentina. You can take it as a good thing as in good metal is universal or like I mentioned earlier, bandwagon jumping. One thing is for sure, Germany's SPECTRAL preceded the genre copycats by a good decade.

Unfortunately for SPECTRAL, their name is not as familiar to genre fans as say fellow compatriots FALKENBACH but it damm well should be. I first learned about em in 2008. The band originally started out back in 1995 but didn't get any material out until 1999 when they put out the demo Teutonic Symphony, which is a cool fuckin title. In 2001 they got the ball rolling by putting out their debut full length, Barbaric Assault. Since then they have released a good five releases over the course of time which included line-up changes and now Arctic Sunrise is their sixth.

I'm just gonna come out and say that Arctic Sunrise, when held up to genre standards, is a great album. Although personally I'll always be fond of their Stormriders full length from 2007. Now when I say genre standards I mean that SPECTRAL are covering the bases of what you would expect from a band in this genre. You've got your melodic yet galloping rhythms and the duel vocals (one harsh blackened screams and the other death metal growls). Then of course you've got the keyboards in the background laying a foundation most of the time with an intro here and there. 

As far as lyrical themes go well hey how bout "In Battle with Fire & Steel", "Invaders", "Vengeance in Blood" and of course the title cut are all cliche at this point in time. I think the only surprise was "Fuck Off and Die", a killer heavy metal anthem which had me thinking if this was the band's swan song. Be that as it may this is everything you'd want from a Viking, Black, Power, Thrash and Heavy Metal band. It's 2017, can you stand some more?

Rating: 3/5

http://www.boersma-records.com/

https://www.facebook.com/metal.spectral

SAVAGE MASTER - Mask Of The Devil & With Whips And Chains review

SAVAGE MASTER - Mask Of The Devil

Skol Records

SAVAGE MASTER - With Whips And Chains

High Roller Records

review by Andy
  
The underground of true heavy metal has been buzzing on this band for a couple years now. These CDs show why. This is great old school heavy metal. Everything from the artwork, The bands logo. The sound & songs. The look  & the live show. This band could go back in time to 1984 and get gigs. In the heavy metal underground scene back then ! Nobody would know ha ha ha. Glad they are in this time though. Showing posers how its done.


Led by Adam Neal from Kentucky punk metal legends the Hookers. Adam plays guitar in this band. Stacy Savage on vocals. A great unique screeching singing style. Again not heard much since the 80s. I am reviewing both CDs. I guess cause they are both fairly new to Me. Although Mask Of The Devil is over a year old. They both fit together so Well. They sound the same. But who cares when it sounds this cool? I took all My favorites from both albums. Put them on one CD. And its been rocking My truck ever since. Those old enough to remember the days of early Exciter, Early Mercyful Fate, Damien Thorne, or even Ded Engine (if anybody knows or remembers those guys)  You will fucking love these albums & band. If You are into metal and don't remember those days or too Young to have been there. No worries. This stuff should still appeal to anybody that loves real heavy metal. This is what its all about. Then & now. True Fucking Metal ! 


ANDY'S rating: 5 Stars

https://www.facebook.com/savagemaster666/

https://savage-master.bandcamp.com/

http://www.skolrecords.com/

http://www.hrrshop.de/

KICK AXE - Vices reissue review

KICK AXE - Vices  reissue  

Rock Candy Records


Review by Andy


The year was 1984. Heavy metal was everywhere. MTV had finally realized its popularity. Radio was actually playing some of the more commercial stuff. Metal giants Judas Priest came to town on their Defenders Of The Faith tour.  I was there. Who is this opening act Kick Axe We asked ourselves. When they hit the stage. I was not sure to cheer or cringe ! These guys were taking the cheese to new levels !  While the guitars were blazing. Drums pounding hard and heavy. Wicked screaming vocals. But there were those stage moves. Those backing vocals LOL. the entire band sang em out like the Bay City Rollers mixed with Queen drunk on Canadian beer like Moosehead !! Cheese flowing think out of these guys. 


I remember it was odd to see a metal band all with huge smiles on their faces. looking back it makes sense. they were a obscure young band from Canada. Opening for Judas Priest in front of a huge Arena full of headbangers. Ha Ha The bass player had a axe shaped bass kinda like Gene Simmons. But instead of a shoulder strap. It was attached to his belt buckle. He would take his hands off it and spin it.  The drummer would be constantly spinning his sticks. While the two guitar players would swing back & forth together while shredding 80s style metal. The vocalist would walk back & forth from one side to the other. Spinning His wireless mic like a drumstick. Also He would randomly yell out ... "Johnny" !  WTF?  Just going along in the song then .... ! Johnny!   He even does it a time or three on the album We have here.  Kinda like in the 70s When Mick Jagger would randomly Yell out "Jimmy"  in concert. Of course years later it was revealed. That during that time period. Mick had some substance abuse problems. And was actually depressed. And actually had a imaginary friend named Jimmy for awhile LOL. Oh those crazy rock stars. How can We mere mortals even begin to understand LOL. 


So enough teenage memories of cheese & metal. I was actually under the influence Myself at that concert. On a side note. Defenders was actually the last decent album by Priest.  So Vices ? The Debut full album by Canadian act Kick Axe. Like all Rock Candy re-issues its a quality package. looks great sounds great. A bonus track & very cool booklet telling the sad success to failure in 3 years time story of Kick Axe. Typical from bars to Arenas & back to the bars again. Not a unusual story in Rock N Roll. Its just that Kick Axe did it a lot quicker then most. But this album as cheesy as the lyrics were. the 80s super pop metal production. Could not hide the great musicianship. Killer vocalist. Catchy songwriting. Huge drum sound. And yeah those weird super chorus vocals. Like I said. I never knew what to think of them then. But I did wear that tape out. So I wound up with this CD.  And yeah I still don't know what to think of it. But Yes I have listened to it a lot lately.  Its a fun unique album. A trip down memory lane of weird cheesy rock n roll history.


Songs? Oh yeah there's some good ones. Heavy Metal Shuffle , Vices, Stay On Top , and a cool bonus track. A cover of Humble Pie's -30 Days In The Hole. Which originally was on the soundtrack. To cheese-ball 80s teen classic movie Up The Creek. A brilliant soundtrack. Which also featured some classic non album tracks from Cheap Trick & Ian Hunter. Look it up for more 80s fun. So yeah. I guess it some ways I blame stuff like Kick Axe. For the beginning of heavy metal getting even dumber & cheesier then it already was. 1984 was the beginning of the end. For a lot of bands. The next year 1985 brought us Poison, Bon Jovi, Turbo Lover .. And Kick Axe went back to the Canadian rock clubs. And produced a fairly poppy more mainstream album. That nobody bought. Myself ? I moved to North Carolina and embraced the punk rock & heavy metal underground.

Rating:  3 Stars.  No maybe 3 & 1/2?  I don't know maybe a 2? 

http://rockcandyrecords.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/Kick-Axe-494860210545612/