Band:
Paul Shortino - vocals
David Michael-Philips - Guitar
Mick Sweda - Guitar
Johnny Rod - Bass Guitar
Carmine Appice - drums
Discography:
Ready to Strike (1985)
Thrill of a Lifetime (1986)
King Kobra III (1988)
The Lost Years (1999) (compilation)
Hollywood Trash (2001)
Guests:
Info
Released 15/4-2011
Reviewed 3/4-2011
It is heavy, glammy rock music with a lot of energy and some rawness to it, this rawness comes mostly down to Paul Shortino’s voice which is quite raw. It is melodic with much energy, the songs are quite simple in structure with distinct choruses that sticks to the mind rather quite actually. The production is clean but still with this raw rock feel that is due to the voice of Shortino who sounds mainly like a cobra with his quite raspy voice which is a bit whiskey but not Lemmy. It can actually be said to be a bit back towards the roots of the band, so maybe they are slithering towards the eighties sound but with a bit more modern touch than they had back then. Production is cleaner and more modern first of all and Shortino’s biting vocals also adds to the sense of a newer King Kobra.
This new self titled album take about 52 minuter to play through, which for me is a bit long, being the advocate of albums no longer than 40 minutes and often maybe even shorter. It has twelve tracks all with distinct choruses that tend to stick to your mind quite well and the tempo is a bit up which makes the 52 minutes a little less long.
It all starts with a track called Rock This House which is not a song about rocking doctor House in a rocking chair but a rocker with a distinct melody and powerful cobra like vocals by Shortino, a good chorus and a very good song that opens this album very well. When slithering on we notice that the second track called Turn Up the Good Times is another really good song worth mentioning when speaking on this album. Then we have to slither to the fifth track that besides having some Beatles references also has some very powerful melodies and singing and is the third and final track I will mention by name which is This is how We Roll. There are some other decent songs as well but three good one I think is enough to mention.
This album by King Cobra has much going for it with its easy to digest songs, clean yet powerful sound and great Cobric vocals. However, there are some problems as well in the fact that the songs are a bit unoriginal and have been done before, the don’t know when to stop thus making a too long album. It also feels a bit simple which means that I have about three positive things and as many negative which would simply mean that they cancel one another out leaving a rating for four for this fast biting album.
For me this is an okay album but it lacks that last little non-explainable factor that make an okay album good, it feels somewhat made on routine more than sheer will, it is as stated well made on all parts making it a good routine album but a routine album nonetheless.
In the end I think that King Kobra lacks some real bite and we can see how they struggle when they meet a kitten, just look at the video below. Still it is quite fun and it still worth giving it a shot and who knows, you might get bitten.
HHHHHHH
