Canada's Kick Axe, like their country-men Anvil, have been together for some time now and have failed to make any considerable impact even though they've had the benefit of a liason with the man behind Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health' album producer Spencer Proffer. 'Rock the World' is their third album in a ten year carrer, and is significant because it's their first without Proffer at the helm.
This is evidently because they wanted to try their hand at making an album of undiluted heavy metal. And that's what they've done. It's metal alright, and although it may rock the world, it certainly ain't gonna change it. The songs chug along in their own sweet way without making any lasting impression. There's a vague psychedelic feel here and there, which is a bit disconcerting amongst the powerchords and beefy riffs.
The most interesting moment on the album is 'We Still Remember', a song which takes a little bits of other songs by Hendrix and The Stones and moulds them into something that's uniquely Kick Axe's own property. Elsewhere there's an interesting cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain', which really fails to take off. But then that's pretty much the sorry tale of this entire album. A bitter disappointment after the excellent 'Vices' album, and one that's recommended to devout fans only.
