King Kobra
Ready To Strike

When Heavy Metal, already developed through all its subgenres (glam, speed etc. etc.), became commercially consistent, many bands ventured into this mysterious genre: most achieved considerable success, while some faded into oblivion. Among these, we can mention the King Kobra, founded by the mighty drummer Carmine Appice, who gathered excellent musicians around him such as guitarists David Phillips and Mick Sweda, the talented Johnny Rod, and singer Mark Free, equipped with a very catchy voice perfectly suited to the genre.

The band emerged on the music scene around 1983, a year when some of the pillars of the new Heavy Metal were released, including "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot or "Piece Of Mind" by Iron Maiden; however, KK were only noticed at the end of the following year, when the producer of Quiet Riot offered them a contract, and the band began sessions for their first album.

"Ready To Strike" was released in 1985 by Capitol and initially had great success thanks to the single "Hunger", though it is not the best track on the album; it opens with the title track, featuring a brief intro that sets up the pounding rhythm that characterizes the song, very catchy but nothing more. We continue with "Hunger", which adds nothing to the opening track except for a beautiful guitar solo by Phillips, who opens the third track "Shadow Rider" with his guitar riff, and here we begin to see the true value of the band: the piece itself is not great, but later the two guitars engage in a very pleasant duel, supported by the powerful Appice.

The next track "Shake Up" is also very good, but perhaps a bit too radio-friendly: it was the second single from the album and met with great success. We skip the predictable "Attention" to reach the best track on the album in my opinion, namely "Breakin' Out", characterized by a great leading riff, on which a very fast, truly amazing solo develops, while the chorus continues relentlessly! I recommend listening to the song, it's really a great track, trust me!!!! The subsequent "Tough Guys" and "Dancing With Desire" reinforce the skills of the two guitarists and also highlight the talents of the previously overlooked bassist Johnny Rod. The album concludes with the third single, a cover of Kick Axe's "Piece Of The Rock", which became an anthem for all the "METALHEADS" of the era.

In conclusion, I would say that even though it is not a fundamental pillar of the heavy scene, this "Ready To Strike" proves to be a solid product for anyone who loves this genre, and for those who want to discover one of the many overlooked bands over the decades. Although they went unnoticed, King Kobra deserves credit for having fused rough Heavy Metal with a more radio-friendly type of music, that is, music for everyone. There have been thousands of bands like KK, it would be impossible to rediscover them all!

See you soon, BYEEEEE!!