Cats In Boots
Kicked & Klawed

Strange story that of Cats In Boots: they formed between 1986 and 1987, even though the first incarnation dates back to 1988, with half Americans, featuring Joel Ellis on vocals (a tall and muscular giant) and Randy Meers on drums, and half...Japanese! Yeah, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense why there’s also a (now rare) EP titled "Demonstration: East Meets West" floating around! The other two unknowns making up this band were Takashi "Jam" O’Hashi on guitar and Yasuhiro "Butch" Hatae on bass. Cats In Boots were the authors of this superb street metal/hard rock album titled "Kicked & Klawed" dated 1989, which also represents their testament (They reformed in 2003, but it was a short-lived thing!). The album stands out particularly due to Ellis's charismatic voice, whom we later find in the bland Heavy Bones of Frankie Banali, and for the guitar playing (not to say skinned alive!) of O’Hashi, a truly underrated guitarist.

The album kicks off with the resounding "Shotgun Sally": rock and roll a go-go, very tight rhythms, choruses to sing at the top of your lungs, and gunshots incorporated: Cats In Boots are wild, to say the least, and those Japanese really know their way around a guitar, who would have thought! All backed by Ellis's gritty and purely street voice; "Nine Lives (Save Me)" continues the tale with a classic street sound: passion, sweat, spandex stretching (what a bad joke!), guitars, chicks...oh wait, that’s missing! But lots and lots of Ellis's savoir-faire, who if he could shout any louder even God would hear him! (Of course, always Ronnie James!) In short, a song that could please cannibals while they feast on human flesh! "Her Monkey" becomes more hard rock and is one of the masterpieces of the album: a threatening intro that explodes violently, with a massive riff desperately chasing Ellis's incredible voice (I wonder how he could hit such high notes! It’s simply beyond measure at points!), a song that might as well corrode your eardrums. Followed by "Whip It Out", which is a decidedly charming song, with its prowling style, just like a cat in boots waiting to scratch! Above all stands Ellis's voice, who in this song might as well be part feline! "Long, Long Way From Home" is noted for O’Hashi's riff-grinding guitar, always precise and incisive, not to mention Ellis, who in this song even mimics Elvis Presley! What a singer, in my opinion, one of the most versatile on the street scene and, why not? Also original and full of inventiveness!

Halfway through the album comes "Coast To Coast", an excellent rock ’n’ roll that only Motorhead with their semi-punk flair could pull off: 3 minutes of pure madness merging rock and roll, punk, and rockabilly. The subsequent "Every Sunrise" is a dreamy ballad, this time with Ellis expressing himself in a decidedly sublime manner, with a voice modulation that’s nothing short of perfect. One of the deepest and most passionate moments of the album, and let's face it...also the only one! Then comes a hammer blow with "Evil Angel", with a rhythm section whose precision is nothing short of surgical: classy hard rock with great versatility. "Bad Boys Are Back" is a typical street anthem simply dedicated to those who make hard rock a way of life, so arm yourselves with leather gloves and sing it as loud as you can: basically, we’ll kick your ass and then some, proving the group doesn't give up for a second and pounds fiercely whenever they can (this time highlighting especially the bass parts of "Butch" Hatae mid-song and the living drumming of Meers, providing this album with magic it surely wouldn’t have had!). Closing the album are the more paced "Judas Kiss", perhaps too close to a Guns song, and the relentless "Heaven On A Heartbeat", which concludes in the best possible way (without surrendering, by the way!) an album that is nothing short of impressive for the sheer passion invested!

What I can say is, if you need to wake up, this album is ideal: street metal/hard rock played in one breath, without giving you time to breathe, and it will only provoke excellent sensations, not just venting, but also passion for rock. In my opinion, it’s one of the best street albums out there, make it yours, it’s worth it, I swear!