KING KOBRA
photo by Colleen Bracken
KING KOBRA
photo
by Colleen Bracken
King Kobra - Ready to Strike (Axe Killer) 1985
1. "Ready to Strike"
(5:19)
2. "Hunger" (3:24)
3. "Shadow Rider" (4:02)
4. "Shake Up" (3:28)
5. "Attention" (3:41)
6. "Breakin' Out" (3:57)
7. "Tough Guys" (4:19)
8. "Dancing With Desire" (5:33)
9. "Second Thoughts" (3:45)
10. "Piece of the Rock" (3:32)
Spandex, make-up, and bleach blonde hair teased to the sky, that is except for resident drum hero Carmine Appice (ex-Ted Nugent) who sets himself apart with his dark brown doo. The music here is a fairly decent slab of melodic, 80's pop metal. For this style this CD is fairly heavy as well; hanging with the likes of Dokken and Rouch Cutt. While their sound is slightly generic, the band manages to write some decent anthems that make the CD very enjoyable. Vocalist Mark Free has a decent set of pipes to boot, which really pushes this CD over the edge. (Some years later Mark later decided he was a girl, had an operation and changed his name to Marcie.) Surprisingly the ballads are kept to a minimum here with "Dancing With Desire", a decent sing-along power ballad that isn't as cheesy as might be expected from this spandex clad bunch. Some of the leads even take on a slight Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden dual lead style. The guitars are have a heavy bite to them, despite being a bit synthisized sounding. "Ready to Strike" also features the bass playing of future W.A.S.P. bassist Johnny Rod.
King Kobra - Thrill of a Lifetime (Axe Killer) 1986
1. Second Time Around 4:03
2. Dream On 4:26
3. Feel the Heat 3:53
4. Thrill of a Lifetime 4:06
5. Only the Strong Will Survive 3:54
6. Iron Eagle (Never Say Die) 3:30
7. Home Sweet Home 4:21
8. Overnight Sensation 4:20
9. Raise Your Hands to Rock 3:47
10. Party Animal 3:53
Carmine Appice and his crew of bleach blonde L.A. poofsters are back for round two. With "Ready to Strike:" the band gave the world a quality mix of heavy music and pop hooks. It was hard driving rock and roll! With "Thrill of a Lifetime" the band brings about hollow, keyboard encrusted pop without an ounce of heavy metal to be found anywhere. Lifeless and stiff as a board, King Kobra were chasing after a wimpy style of radio rock devoid of life without any cahones whatsoever. The album was a sign of the times, sounding like the worst of Night Ranger and Survivor. A lifeless, keyboard heavy production to boot. King Kobra were searching for an identity, but none could be found here. Die-hards melodic rock fans will take me to task on this and I am sure that AOR fans will find something to like here. However, after a promising debut, I was disappointed.