The Canadian hardrockers Kick Axe are back with 14 brand new tracks. The group released 3 albums between 1983 and 1987 on CBS/Sony. In 2000 and 2001 the SongHaus/Rewind (Sony) label re-issued the first two Kick Axe albums on CD. Their third album "Rock The World" has become a rare collectors item and will maybe see the light of day next year and will not cost you a fortune to get a copy. This new album continues very much the same components of melodic hardrock that Kick Axe was known for. But I have to say that they have never sounded this good. I have not been a bigger fan of their earlier albums but now they have written great songs with crunchy guitars, strong vocal harmonies and a big sound. But singer George Criston is not in the band because of due to long-term commitments with Nettwork artists DIDO, Avril Lavigne and Sarah MacLaughlin. So on "IV" they have got their original singer Gary Langen back. |
The sound is typical Canadian and has touches of Von Groove, Phil Naro and Triumph in the sound with of course the typical Kick Axe sound. I think that 14 songs are a couple too many because there are some songs that don't reach the top and could have been left out. "Turn To Stone" is a great hardrockin song with crunchy guitars with brilliant melodies and strong background vocals. The Von Groove-ish rocker "Rockin Daze" is brilliant with George singing his heart out with great feeling and it contains heavy rockin guitarriffs. On the track "Do You Know" features a dual drummer rhythm section that makes the drumsound awesome but the song is plain and weak. |
The standout track on the album is "Time". This is a winner for every fan of Canadian melodic hardrock. This is an awesome stadium rocker with a powerful chorus that includes impressive background vocals that lifts up this song to a higher level. Songs like "Who Knows Ya", "Slip Inside My Dreams" and "Rock n Roll Dog" could have been left out of this album. They are boring and weak and don't have anything to contribute to this album. I have to say that this new album from Kick Axe was a pleasant surprise and is really enjoyable. The production is top-notch and it sounds great. Nearly 14 years of wait is over for the fans of Kick Axe and they have managed to record a strong comeback album. |