KICK AXE: IV [Still factory sealed. Mint condition] CD Hard Rock / Traditional Metal Led Zeppelin, Nazareth, Bad Company.

Description

Kick Axe has recorded three previous albums, performed on several motion picture soundtracks, sold over a quarter of a million records, and was arguably the best hard rock group to come out of Canada in the eighties. The members of Kick Axe always intended to re-unite when the time was right and that time is now! This new studio album features the return of Raymond Harvey on guitar and Gary Langen on vocals. The band’s sound and songwriting has matured considerably since their debut gold album “”Vices””, yet they have stayed true to their hard rock roots. All five members of the group have written songs for the album, which makes for a colorful and diverse listening experience. Drum warrior Brian Gillstrom’s powerful and innovative beats combine with Victor Langen’s thundering bass to lay down a solid foundation for the amazing guitar work of Larry Gillstrom and Raymond Harvey. Gary Langen, an original founder of Kick Axe, sings his heart out with powerful emotional performances that bring back memories of early Led Zeppelin, Nazareth and Bad Company. With back-up vocals provided by all members of the group, as well as guest vocalist Laurel Aura, Kick Axe IV is laced with the intricate vocal harmonies that the band has always been known for. Along with a solid set of hard rockin anthems, there are many special softer moments on the record, such as Larry Gillstrom’s haunting acoustic guitar work on Turn To Stone and Who Knows Ya, Gary’s soulful singing on the intro to Consolation, and the exotic verses of Slip Inside My Dream. The album is constantly offering surprises to the listener, whether it be Raymond Harvey’s tasteful slide guitar, the frantic dual drummers on Do You Know, the beefy B3 Hammond organ sprinkled throughout, or the ghostly harmonica wailing of guest performer Eric Norman. The members of Kick Axe consider this album to be their strongest and most honest work to date.

Details
Producer: Kick Axe
Distributor: Sumthing Distribution
Recording Type: Studio
Recording Mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a

Album Notes
Kick Axe: Gary Langen (vocals, drums, percussion); Raymond Harvey (guitar, slide guitar, background vocals); Larry Gillstrom (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Victor Langen (bass guitar, background vocals); Brian Gillstrom (drums, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Eric Norman (harmonica); T’Narg Ruthra (Hammond b-3 organ); Laurel Aura (background vocals).”

It happen quite often nowadays, that old bands that disbanded years ago once again come together and start playing music again, and Kick Axe is not exception, the old Canadian Hard rock band that with their three releases between 1983 and 1987 took the world with storm is back, after 15 years of silence, that’s something, don’t you think?

The year was 1988, Kick Axe quitted as friends and left behind them three albums that was loved by a whole Hard rock world, and in 2000, the old label (Sony) started to re-release the album on CD, and against everyone’s expectation, the album sold very well, and the band decided to give it shot, and started to play together again, all except the last singer, that was unavailable due to long-term commitments, so the band asked the original vocalist, and Kick Axe was back.

Sounds quite unbelievable, don’t you think? Almost like a Hard rock fairytale, but it’s true, to every word, and here in my hand I holding the fourth and latest Kick Axe album, simply named “IV”.
So what’s to say about this comeback? Well, musically it’s very interesting, both because the band was on it’s way to become gigantic back in the eighties and since it’s pure eighties Hard rock with a modern touch, that today’s Hard rock bands never can do, this much be done by a band that was a part of the old scene, like Kick Axe.
To many this music might sound a bit monotonous, boring and simple, but it’s not, Hard rock is about soul and passion, not only about originality. All songs got something good in all possible levels.

Everyone that have heard them before just have to check this up, because I don’t think you’ll be that disappointed. Fans of eighties harder hard rock might easily buy if too.

Check Out: “The Only Ones Here” and the other 13 songs; you’ll need this CD.