Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Kick Axe co-founder and guitarist Larry Gillstrom about the band's new album, upcoming tour, the band's legacy and how the band was asked to write for other metal bands in the 80's such as Black Sabbath. Plus did they write a track on W.A.S.P. second album?
Speculation and rumour over the years about if the band Kick Axe wrote the song "Running Wild in the Streets" off of W.A.S.P.'s second album 'The Last Command', which was credited to Blackie Lawless and producer Spencer Proffer.
The Metal Voice asked Kick Axe in a recent video interview about this and this is what guitarist Larry Gillstrom had to say, "It's not something I can talk about but let's just put it this way. I had a conversation with Blackie (Lawless) in the Rainbow Bar and Grill and he said your version (Kick Axe) is better than mine (WASP). So there was a version of ours (Kick Axe) that's all I can say. No one has ever heard our version because we can't release it."
Taking it one step further The Metal Voice then asked former guitarist of W.A.S.P. Chris Holmes on Aug 27, 2023 if the rumours were true and Holmes said to The Metal Voice, "Running Wild in the Streets" was a song written by Kick Axe and sold by Spencer Proffer to Blackie Lawless to be used on W.A.S.P.'s 'The Last Command' album."
Note Spencer Proffer produced, W.A.S.P.'s 'The Last Command' in 1984 as well as Kick Axe's debut 'Vices' album.
Kick Axe is a Canadian heavy metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan. The group is perhaps best known for their 1984 album 'Vices'. The band achieved moderate commercial success in the mid-1980's on the strength of the singles "Heavy Metal Shuffle", "On the Road to Rock", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Rock the World". Following the release of their 1986 album 'Rock the World', Kick Axe disbanded and remained on hiatus for many years. In 2004, they re-emerged with the album 'Kick Axe IV'.