www.allmusic.com

www.aquariusrecords.com

www.babylonmagazine.net

www.breakoutmagazine.de

www.harderbeat.com

At the risk of sparking a heated debate, Kick Axe's 1984 Vices debut stands today as the best Canadian metal album ever released, though 2000 marks the first time it's ever seen an official, authorized CD release. Sixteen years have passed, and Vices stands as one of the most original albums in existence. 'Heavy Metal Shuffle', Maneater', 'Just Passin' Through' and 'Alive & Kickin'' all display totally unique ideas and rhythms. The album itself is one of a kind. There was nothing like it before, and there's been nothing like it since. Because it's so unique, people didn't know how to react. The fans raved, and industry heavyweights heard them and took immediate action. Example: Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath heard Vices and approached the band, asking them to write some 'fresh, young material' for them. Four songs resulted, but sadly, Sabbath passed. The heavyweight endorsements kept coming, too. After seeing Kick Axe live once in '84, Rob Halford offered them the opening slot on Judas Priest's US tour supporting their Defenders of the Faith album. High praise indeed. Luckily, Rewind Records has rewarded us by making it available again in all its glory. Go to www.songhausmusic.com and get this beauty headed your way.

Mandatory (Dale Lammers)

www.deceivme.com

Nuggets of Nostalgia
with Sherman Ross

When I think of rockin' 80's bands, a few obvious names come to mind: The Scorpions, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, and Quiet Riot. But what if I was to add a few more names? Try Hobbit and Spectre General. "Why, Sherm," you're saying to yourself, "I've never heard of those bands!" Oh really? Well, here comes the big surprise. Both Hobbit and Spectre General are pseudonyms for one on the most under-appreciated groups of all time: Kick Axe. Eighties metal group Kick Axe are best known for their 1984 hit "On the Road to Rock" off their album Vices. I recently had the pleasure of coming across a copy of this stellar record. This masterpiece rocks all the way from Side 1 to Side 2 with such thrashing pieces of ear candy as the title track, "Vices", and "Stay on Top", which I think they are bound to do. Along with being a really rocking album, songs like "Dreaming About You" show the band's softer side, while showcasing the amazing vocal ability of lead singer George Criston (formerly of the band Tripper), a true inspiration to his band mates. Yet another layer of this hard rock burrito is the influence it has had on modern pop culture, evident in tunes like "All the Right Moves" and "Maneater", names I know I've heard somewhere else as well. Another awesome thing about this band is that they are from Canada, the birthplace of all great rock acts (Loverboy, Crash Test Dummies, and many more). Being the innovators that they are, Kick Axe enlisted the services of the ever famous Gillstrem brothers, best known for their work in Canadian Life Cereal commercials. Before you get disappointed that you'll only get to hear Kick Axe on vinyl, there's good news to be found. This album is also available on cassette! "But Sherm," you exclaim, "I already own the album. Why would I want it on cassette?" Well I'll tell you. There's something you get on the tape version that you won't find on vinyl: a bonus track! Yup, the band does a cover of Humble Pie's "30 Days in the Hole". Well worth the cost of the cassette, wouldn't you say? If you're a fan of acts like Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Falco, or Rick Springfield, then you're gonna love Kick Axe. All in all there are just not enough good things that can be said about a record like this. Sherm rates the Kick Axe Album Vices 4" cans of Aquanet (out of 5).

www.knac.com

Bryan Reesman, Contributor, Monday, May 21, 2001 02:13 PM

Canadian quintet Kick Axe released one of the greatest hard rock albums of the 1980s with their brilliant debut Vices. Rob Halford was supposedly so impressed by the band after catching one of their gigs that he brought them on the second leg of the North American Defenders Of The Faith tour. And what was not to love? Kick Axe excelled at highly tuneful mainstream metal. Guitar duo Raymond Arthur Harvey and Larry Gillstrom tore through tasty, snarling riffs, funky bassist Victor Langen and spirited skinbeater Brian Gillstrom proved themselves masters of the groove, while soulful vocalist George Criston sang, growled, screamed, and scatted his way through the album's ten metallic nuggets. Furthermore, who could forget the fact that everyone sang backup? The five-piece unleashed some truly radiant vocal harmonies throughout their three-album career. The group's sparkling 1984 debut was produced by Quiet Riot guru Spencer Proffer, who also co-arranged the album and co-wrote two songs. He reportedly took some of the edge from Kick Axe's heavy live sound, but he certainly didn't strip it of its essence. The album's lead single and video "On The Road To Rock" was a stirring ode to headbanger heaven, "Alive & Kickin'" let rip with a restless, groovilicious call to mischief, "Dreamin' About You" became one of the more offbeat ballads of the 1980s, and "Just Passin' Through" offered stirring, philosophical musings on the meaning of life. Following an insanely busy year opening for the likes of Priest, Helix, Quiet Riot, and the Scorpions, Kick Axe jumped into the studio to begin the challenging task of following up Vices. Working with producer Randy Bishop (who co-wrote five songs) with some assistance from Spencer Proffer, the group decided to take a different approach on Welcome To The Club. While they retained their hard rockin' style, the quintet injected a greater sense of dynamics into the mix, introducing softer sections into several numbers, thus giving greater oomph to their heavy parts. Kick Axe's sophomore effort wasn't as explosive as their debut but still featured many excellent songs. The title track was a low-key, soul-searching exploration of addiction, "Feels Good Don't Stop" delivered a funky ode to doing the nasty, and video/single "With A Little Help From My Friends" presented a classy rendition of the famous Beatles tune, featuring backing vocals from Lee Aaron, Rik Emmett, and many other rock luminaries from north of the border. Some tracks were less than stellar - "Too Loud Too Old" and "Feel The Power" were a bit too tried-and-true, while the sexually aggressive lyrics to the otherwise balls-out "Can't Take It With You" bordered on offensive. On the other hand, the raucous rockers imbued normally traditional anthems like "Hellraisers" and "Make Your Move" with their special Kick Axe magic. They provided further evidence that Club was a requisite addition to rock album collections everywhere. After touring behind album #2, Kick Axe went on to record and release a third disc called Rock The World, but waning label interest and shady management deals forced them to disband and pursue other projects. (Hopefully that album will make it down to the States in CD form sometime soon.) Regardless, these supercharged Canadians left a great musical legacy - disciples of melodic '80s hard rock should run out and snap up Vices and Welcome To The Club right away. This band should have been huge! Both reissues feature extensive liner notes, making them worth buying again on CD if you already own the originals on vinyl. To learn more about what the members of Kick Axe have been up to, stay tuned for their story in an upcoming installment of Shamelessly 80s!.

Vices ****1/2
Welcome To The Club ****

Majestic Magazine

Kick Axe's Vices heads from the time that I still was a little young fellow with long hair. This album always brings up good memories. I have a rather nice vinyl collection, but this album is on the player more than average. More than other records that I still play from that era. Or actually I should say "was", because finally, finally Vices is out on CD!!! Vices is pure nostalgia for me. I just can't talk about it - or play it - without thinking of the nights me and my friends did nothing but drinking beer and listening to great music. It was the time of the big US festivals, where bands like the Scorps and Judas Priest played in front of half a million people. The Monsters Of Rock festivals, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot in the charts. Get the picture? We thought that it would never end. And in a way it never did. Rewind Records - part of the Song Haus Music Group - proves that with this re-release. From the same stable as Quiet Riot everyone I knew - and even the Rock Mags - thought Kick Axe was way better then their successful fellow country and labelmen. But as very often is the case, talent isn't always a guarantee for success. Kick Axe released three albums and Vices was their debut. In my opinion this is the best album the band produced. Just like a lot of albums at the time the album starts of with a slow anthem. I'm not always too enthusiastic about this kind of tracks, but on Heavy Metal Shuffle you immediately hear what Kick Axe is capable of. The arrangements and the huge vocal harmonies give the song a special feel, despite the somewhat dated lyrics. But the real treat begins with the title track. George Criston's powerful voice over the subdued guitarriffs, almost no cymbals in the drum department and again these vocal harmonies - that will return throughout the entire album - during the choruses makes this song to what it is, one of my classic favorites. The chorus stays in your head for ages. Want proof? A friend of mine told me he'd been humming the song the whole day recently. He hadn't heard the album for over 10 years!!! And although Vices is one of the more outstanding songs on the album this is actually what characterizes the complete album. Catchy songs with a perfect production - for that time - and extraordinary arrangements. That's not to say that this album could have been made with any other band around, but it's just the finishing touch that makes the album special. Take a listen to the soundeffects on a song like Maneater or between Cause For Alarm and Alive And Kickin', and you'll know what I mean. The sound of the CD is much better than on the album I own. This partially has to do with the fact that the record has been on my player so much, but of course Rewind wouldn't be Rewind if they wouldn't have remastered the album. Great job guys! My favorite songs on the album, next to the title track are On The Road To Rock, All The Right Moves and especially Cause For Alarm, the song that got me into this album in the first place. But in fact this whole album does the job for me. Very often when I intend to put on just one song I end up listening to the whole thing. And that's what describes the true classic in my opinion. You wanna listen to it over and over again, for the rest of your life. Vices absolutely is a classic for me!

Fred Monster, 5 out of 5

Heavy Metal Resource

Well, the day is finally here! I remember hearing 'Vices' back in the day it was originally released and being blown away. This album was different from many from the same time era. Lots of punch and power made it instantly memorable. I wanted this album reissued to the shiny disc, but believed at one time that it would never happen.

The album is very heavy, yet melodic. Criston's vocals are definitely over the top. I like the background sounds that are mixed in to give it an eery feel. The album stands the test of time and still holds up very well in the year 2000. This band could teach the current breed of chart topping bands a thing about attitude. It's all there and big as life!

In these days you get some pretty cheap reissues. How well was 'Vices' done?? Excellent!!! The album was digitally remastered and will kick your teeth in. Lots of clarity and perfect low frequency to make this remaster one of the better ones I have heard. I really can't say enough about it.  I am a stickler for sound quality and was very pleased with what was done to a 16 year old album. Also included are extensive liner notes giving more detail to those hungry for it. The artwork was kept true to the original. Very nicely done. Thanks to Dane Spencer and Songhaus Music Group for doing this one right. Other labels need to pay attention to the efforts this label exhibits in their reissues.

I'll put it to you like this.... You must have this album!! There is absolutely no disappointment here. Great quality and great music from one of the most underrated bands to ever grace a stage. This one comes very highly recommended.

www.melodic.net

www.nehrecords.com

Kick Axe was formed in 1976 in Saskatchewan, Canada. After doing the club scene throughout western Canada and undergoing numerous changes in lead vocalists, the band gathered some recognition in the Playboy magazine music poll in 1981. In 1983, Quiet Riot producer and Pasha Records president Spencer Proffer signed the band and took them to L.A. to record. While recording, the band met with many headline acts of the day and even wrote four songs for Black Sabbath. Two of these would later be released by Carmine Appice for his King Cobra project and Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. Finally this album, "Vices" was released in May 1984. Shortly thereafter, Kick Axe found themselves with a hit single ("On The Road To Rock") an toured with the likes of Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Scorpions, Helix and Ratt. A second single "Heavy Metal Shuffle" got plenty of radio and video play and the band made plans for a follow-up L.P. Although they released two subsequent records, "Welcome To The Club" and "Rock The World" could not recapture the magic on their debut album leading ultimately to the break-up of Canada's first truly successful heavy metal band.

Strutter Magazine

Canadian rockers KICK AXE had a unique own style that could be labelled as Heavy Rock/Metal, but was quite melodic and still different than any other band at that time. 'Vices' was released in 1984 and sold pretty well (almost 100,000 copies). Rewind/Songhaus has re-issued the first two albums of the band, to start with 'Vices'. The debut of the band was produced by SPENCER PROFFER (EYES, WASP, VIXEN, KING KOBRA) and contained the usual 10 songs (no bonustracks). Some of the songs tend to sound like AUTOGRAPH ("On the road to rock" and "All the right moves"), while others even take a step into early DEF LEPPARD territory ("Cause for alarm"). The best songs however are the melodic rockers "Dreamin' about you" and "Just passin' through" that both feature excellent catchy choruses. This band mixed all kinds of influences and put out a great record that was followed up by another interesting record that featured the same type of own melodic heavy rock as 'Vices'.

Rating: 8/10
(Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

www.amazon.com

4.5 stars - Awesome debut from Canada's premier metal band, April 13, 2005
Reviewer: Darth Kommissar (Las Vegas, NV (USA)) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Vices (1984.) Kick Axe's first album.

The early eighties saw a period of time in which heavy metal bands were striving to make it big. Metal had fast become one of the most popular musical genres of the decade, and many a band was trying to achieve popularity. Most of these bands were American, the vast majority of them existing in southern California. But, there were a number of bands in the genre who hailed from different countries. Among these foreign eighties hard rock bands was Kick Axe, who (oddly enough) came from Canada. The group was pretty much unknown, both in their prime and even up to the modern day. Unlike most metal bands of the day, this group was more of a heavy, aggressive metal band than a glam rock act (the group's stylings are MUCH more similar to say, WASP, than to a band like Poison.) Although the band had been around since the mid-seventies, they didn't get around to releasing their first album, Vices, until 1984. Read on for my review of it.

If you're into classic heavy metal, Kick Axe is one of those bands that's well worth exploring, and their debut album proves the point many times over. The band was one of the heaviest of their time, with a sound so gritty and aggressive that it put many a classic metal act to shame. It's a shame the group never achieved any real popularity, because their breed of metal was one all its own. The sheer intensity of the band's musical stylings must be heard to be appreciated. On this album you get ten tracks, and they are all excellent, hard, and heavy - there's not a power ballad in sight. George Criston's vocals are among the most unique of the genre, which only goes to enhance the band's sound. Larry Gillstrom and Arthur Harvey serve up a dual-guitar onslaught that's tough to beat. Take my advice - if you like metal that rocks hard and rocks right, Kick Axe is well worth checking out. These guys are arguably the best Canadian rock and roll band I've ever heard.

As I previously stated, Kick Axe is NOT a wildly popular band, so finding their stuff may be somewhat of a challenge. Your best bet will probably be to order their stuff from an online store - you're not likely to find any of it in retail stores. Hopefully the band's material will get better mainstream distribution sometime in the future, but for the time being, you're just gonna have to search.

There's not a whole lot else I can say. Kick Axe kicks ass. These guys know how to rock and roll, and they're not afraid to prove it. Classic metal bands don't get much better than these guys - it's just a shame they weren't around to release albums for too long and ultimately disbanded without making a name for themselves. Oh, well - the music itself is far more important than popularity, if you ask me. Classic metal fans, if you don't own this, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Kickin', January 26, 2005
Reviewer: Dave Craig (Calgary, Alberta Canada) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is an awesome album from start to finish. I am a little curious as to how an album from a band out of Regina gets called an Import......

4.5 Stars- A solid 80s pop metal offering by an unknown band, April 25, 2004
Reviewer: M. B. Link "tkdmateo" (USA) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Vices(1984). Kick Axe's debut studio album.

Beneath a huge mass of successful hair metal acts such as Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue, Ratt, and Bon Jovi, there were even more bands that never hit big, but rocked every bit as much as their more famous contemporaries. To me, I've always been more of a fan of the heavier hair metal bands whose sound borderlined on actual heavy metal music, such as Twisted Sister, Tesla, Skid Row, and W.A.S.P. Coming from Canada, Kick Axe was one of these bands. Though they have technically been around since 1976, KA went through numerous lineup changes until finally in 1984, they managed to cut a deal with producer Spencer Proffer and made their first studio album. For those who don't know, Spencer Proffer was also the producer of Quiet Riot's most successful album Metal Health(1983), and went on to produce for W.A.S.P. and others. Here we have George Criston on vocals, Raymond Arthur Harvey and Larry Gillstrom on lead guitars, Victor Langen on bass, and Brian Gillstrom on drums. None of these guys are famous at all, but they are good at this genre of metal, so the band has good cohesion. I especially like the vocals because they are different than most other vocalists of hair metal bands at the time.

Here we have Vices. The first track 'Heavy Metal Shuffle' grabs your attention right away with catchy hooks abound. The title track and 'Stay On Top' are both pounding anthems, loud and commanding the way rockers should be. The latter track segues smoothly right into 'Dreaming About You', which is sort of a semi-ballad, though still heavy enough to compete with the other songs. 'Maneater' has a cool pace to it, though the section between the 2nd chorus and solo is just weird with its sound effects. You'd have to hear it to see what I mean. The hard rocking anthems continue with 'On The Road To Rock' and the fastpaced 'Cause For Alarm'. 'Alive & Kicking' is a little more lightweight, but still a very catchy and interesting track. 'All The Right Moves' is cool enough, though probably the weakest song on the album. The closing track 'Just Passin' Through' partially reminds me of Dio's 'Holy Diver' and Def Leppard's 'Billy's Got A Gun'.

So is Vices a worthy investment? If you like 80s styled metal, you bet! Anyone who is a fan of W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, and/or Dokken owes it to themselves to add this to their collection. To me, it fits well along with some of the more popular albums of the time, though it never got the credit it deserved. If you buy any version of this album at all, make sure that you get the imported copy. Not only is it cheaper, but the album has been digitally remastered and it contains a booklet with interesting liner notes. Kick Axe went on to record songs for the Transformers Movie under the name Spectre General, and released two more albums Welcome To The Club(1985) and Rock The World(1986) before disbanding. They were good albums, though not on the level of Vices. Recently though, the band reformed and are going to release a new album sometime this year, called IV(2004), so if you're a fan, look out for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Other recommendations:
-'W.A.S.P.' by W.A.S.P.
-'Metal Health' by Quiet Riot
-'You Can't Stop Rock & Roll' by Twisted Sister
-'Pyromania' by Def Leppard

Melodic Metal At It's Best!, December 30, 2002
Reviewer: Shawn Johnston from Spokane, WA Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This debut album from Kick Axe showcases their melodic sensibilities, as well as their killer 4 part harmonies. The production work by Spencer Proffer (Quiet Riot, King Kobra) is state of the art, with the huge drum, guitar, & vocals. Check out "On the road to rock" & "Dreamin' about you" for examples of this. Of course "Heavy Metal Shuffle" & "Alive & Kickin'" are absolute, bonefide rock anthems that stand up with most anything from '80's metal land. This album is a must have for any fan of quality 80's metal that appreciates great song writing (Kick Axe also wrote songs for King Kobra & W.A.S.P to name a few) guitar work, & kick-[butt] vocals.

GREAT DEBUT BY UNDERRATED BAND, June 24, 2002
Reviewer: Tina Z. Will from Anaheim, CA United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I first purchased this on vinyl back in 1984. I thought this Canadian band, which never received that much MTV or radio airplay, was a fantastic metal band. The singer is excellent, and the band members are definitely proficient on their instruments. What makes this band great is the songs have strong melodies, but are not wimpy, unlike a lot of hair band music that came later in the decade. It's too bad this band didn't have more acclaim. Kick Axe was definetely one of the better metal bands to come out of the early '80s.

HEAVY METAL SHUFFLE, February 9, 2002
Reviewer: exiled01 from Pasadena, Texas United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Definitely one of the best Hard Rock releases of the 80's. Great vocals, screaming guitars, hot harmonies and background vocals, and a really good drummer. This is my favorite of 3 releases I have by Kick Axe. There's the non-stop "Heavy Metal Shuffle", the moving "Stay on Top", "Maneater", and my favorite "Dreaming About You", which is more of a ballad. "Dreaming" makes it hard to understand why Kick Axe wasn't standing at the top of the mountain in the 1980's. The song has everything. If you're looking for classic metal from the 80's give this a shot. Great stuff!

Great Album, January 17, 2002
Reviewer: A music fan from Houston, TX Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The absolute best album by Kick Axe. Too bad they couldnt keep the trend going.

80's Metal Classic Finally Released on CD, December 20, 2001
Reviewer: Kevin Scott from Dover, DE United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of my all time favorite releases from the 80s Hard Rock/Metal era. I have waited for this to be released on CD for years. It Rocks !!!! Kick Axe is one of the most under-rated bands of the era. You will not be disappointed. This is a must for any CD collection. If I was left on a desert island and could only have 5 CDs this would definately be one of them !!!! The vocals, the guitar, and other effects are blended into what is truly a Hard Rock classic.

So Canada cant produce good rock music ?, 4 August, 2001
Reviewer: (meredith_steve@hotmail.com) from England Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Originally released in 1984 on CBS Records this just has to be one of the greatest all time debut albums. From the moment Heavy Metal Shuffle starts to the end of Just Passin Through this album is a wonder of mid 80's metal, right up there with Crue, Ratt , Great White etc. In George Criston i doubt whether there is a better singer to come out of Canada and the twin guitars of Raymond Harvey and Larry Gillstrom have just got to be heard. With classic riffin tracks such as On the road to rock and Stay on top, this was one of the greatest albums of 1984, I was 15 at the time and still now rate it in my top 10 of all time. I have just got it on CD and it is even better ..... so if you only buy one album this year .... buy this one ... after all we all have our Vices.

80's metal at it's Best, April 30, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan from Centreville, Va United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is one for all the ages. One of the most underrated bands ever to exist, Kick Axe will blow your head away.

FOR GOD's SAKE-QUIT LISTENING TO LIMP BIZKIT AND BUT THIS!, February 15, 2001
Reviewer: cheaptrick77 from Tyler, Texas USA Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I never thought that I would see the day that this would FINALLY be re-issued on CD. Man, I got so tired of seeing all of those idiots on eBay making $20-a-pop for a CD-R copy! I like to listen to this CD and pretend that it is 1984 again when rock-and-roll had a soul & if a band like Limp Bizkit had come along they would have been laughed out of the business, but don't get me started on Limp Bizkit (or is it Kid Rock? I get the two confused sometimes) JUST BUY THE CD!

Brilliant Cheese Metal, January 24, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan from Asbury, NJ USA Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
My god, this CD just rocks until the cows come home. "Get On The Road To Rock" is just an awesome tune, especially if you're into mid-80s chunka-chunka-chunka stuff. The lead singer, George, is just insane...he does an awesome Jabberjaw impression on the tune "All The Right Moves", another one of the best cuts. In short, this record is epic hair band stuff, mostly dark with a little bit of boogie thrown in. But you probably know that if you're into this sort of music. Lotsa crunchy guitars, awesome tone throughout. This was produced by the guy who produced Quiet Riot.

This is something of a concept album, actually, or at least a song cycle. The songs deal with morality (and especially, the lack of it), hedonism, and all of that in relation to being a cheese metal band. It's all concluded in "Just Passing Through", which affirms that it really makes no difference after all whether you're right or wrong. Lotsa atmospheric sound effects like saws (!) and that ubiquitous '80s synth noise. Vice becomes personified throughout the album, and one of the band members speaks in a deep voice as the "voice of the vice" several times.

For the uninitiated, you may remember this band as "Spectre General" from the _Transformers_ movie soundtrack. They had to change their name for that project. If you want to imagine what this sounds like, picture skinny, poodle-haired, leather clad men, covered with bandanas, standing in front of Marshall amplifiers, with lots of smoke and colored lights. Seen that before? Sure. Now imagine that the lead singer throws his head back and makes a high-picthed, unintelligible gurgling shout at the begining of one of the tunes. Pure spectacle, and you can't help but be moved by how mind-numbingly animalistic it all is. Yeah. Rock.

Kick Axe, January 23, 2001
Reviewer: TRUE METAL HEAD from Marion, Iowa USA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I have owned this recording since it first came out on vinyl and also purchased it on tape and have worn them both out though the years. This is nothing but 80's raw, bar sounding, head banging, lets go to a party music. It is a screaming guitar CD with that 80's screaming metal voice in the foreground. Don't pass this one up if your looking for the 'not so popular' 80's metal madness.

www.melodicrock.com

Canada's Kick Axe are a classic early/mid 80's North American hard rock act. It's safe to say the guys have a cult following. They are classic of the sound that was present at the time – Quiet Riot were huge, King Kobra were on the airwaves. These guys take a little from both those guys, softer than QR, heavier than KK. Funnily enough, Kick Axe producer Spencer Proffer was behind both these other acts and a stack of other artists at the time. I always remember being able to buy any Spencer Proffer producer record, as I knew the style of the contents and the style of the always excellent production. American anthemic melodic hard rock, with a slightly less commercial edge than some other bands took. Kick Axe are the same – yet unique – their style is more complex – including jazzy riffs and layered harmonies. Vices is a raw, energetic, hard hitting 1984 era heavy rock n roll record. As usual, the packaging from Rewind replicates the original presentation of the album. Sound is clean and has responded well to remastering. Included are excellent liner notes, but no bonus tracks - another staple of Rewind's re-issues.

www.pitriff.com

This is one of the best debut albums of all time in my opinion. I am also proud to say that I was in on this sucker from day one, buying it simply because I thought the album cover was cool. Vices contains so much raw energy it just seems to explode inside your head. KICK AXE seemed to have had every element to be one of the few Canadian bands to truly strike it big here in the states, and yet it didn't.

The first reason this album is so monumental for me is the amazing talents of lead singer George Criston. His voice just sells every note as he screams his way through ten tracks perfectly suited for his talents. Lay those vocals over the garage level production, the ripping guitars of Ray Harvey and Larry Gillstrom, and the thumping rhythm of bassist Victor Langen and drummer Brian Gillstrom and what you get is an album that sounds as fresh and relevant today as it did 20 years ago. There are classic tunes from top to bottom, "Heavy Metal Shuffle" "Maneater" "On the Road To Rock" …oh hell just name them all. Even the albums one slow track "Dreaming About You" was a kick ass power ballad. Every friend I had owned this album and played it non stop, you could always hear them coming down the street with stereo blasting. As I said, these guys were tailor made for the radio, every song an anthem unto itself.

PITRIFF RATING - 10/10 - To this day I have no idea why Kick Axe didn't become a household name off of this album alone. They followed up Vices with another excellent (if not slightly overproduced) Welcome To the Club. By the time the dismal Rock the World came out in 1987 the door was firlmy closed and the band split up. When the whole tape trading phenomenon and internet downloading frenzy hit it was no surprise to me that VICES reached cult status. The seeminlgly used that status to make a comeback in 2005 with a new studio album. Sdaly though, the best part of the band George Criston was not involved and it was a spotty affair at best. This album sits in my short list for favorites to this day.

Added:  Saturday, May 13, 2006

Reviewer:  Shawn Gould

Score: 5 out of 5