I love that 80’s metal is making a huge comeback. With the recent resurgence of new CDs coming out from hair bands from the 80’s we are seeing some truly great metal in the 2010’s. King Kobra is one of those bands that have contributed to a great release with their new self titled CD on Frontiers Records. Personally I think this CD is far superior to ANYTHING they have done previously. Unfortunately these guys remained pretty much unheard of in the 80’s as they were thrown into an already congested glam metal scene but did see a glimmer of success in ‘86 with the release of the song “Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)” for the motion picture “Iron Eagle”. In 1988 the band dissolved and founder and drummer Carmine Appice joined John Sykes in Blue Murder, guitarist Mick Sweda went to start the Bullet Boys, Bassist Johnny Rod joined WASP, guitarist David Michael-Philips joined Lizzy Borden and vocalist Mark Free went on to start Unruly Child.
In 2010 Appice reunited the original lineup and replaced singer Mark Free with vocalist Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt and Quiet Riot) and these guys have never sounded better! In May 2011 King Kobra releases their fifth and in my humble opinion best CD to date. The band sounds tighter than ever, Shortino is a great addition to the group, the production is flawless and it is very apparent these guys have matured both personally as musicians and as a group.
Sure some of the songs are predictable and maybe some reek for a moment or two of cheesiness but overall this CD is a great rock record. Some of the highlights include opening track “Rock This House” which surely sets the pace for the remainder of the CD and gives an early glimpse of what is to come. “Tear Down the Walls” is a classic hard rockin’, fist pumpin’ anthem. The bluesy track “We Got a Fever” is probably the strongest song that is a slight change of pace from the rest of the songs. “Screamin’ For More” is a fun song and highlights Appice’s double kick abilities and I thought would have been a strong concluding song but for some reason is the second to last and precedes a ballad to close out the CD. In fact some of the weaker spots (cheesiness and predictability) are the ballads as they seem sort of formulaic, lacking heart and cliché.
Overall KING KOBRA is a great hard rock record. It is 12 songs and 51 minutes of pure hard rockin’ fun that will appeal to any hard music fan. It is really great to see Appice and the gang comeback stronger than ever and I hope they find some great success with this release. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for King Kobra… I for one am looking forward to hearing some more from them in the future.
