Customer Reviews

Ready To Strike

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the 80's most under-rated bands, with one of the most incredible and unknown/under-reated vocalists, Mark Free. Best known for their Title-Track single from the 1980's Hit Movie "Iron Eagle," the band, consisting of: Vocalist, Mark Free; Guitarists, David Michael-Philips & Mick Sweda; Bassist, Johnny Rod; and renown Drummer, Carmine Appice, the bands First CD is much more powerful and raw.Carmine appice's drumming is powerful, driving the songs, while it is Vocalist Mark Free (of Unruly Child, and The Gods) that bring the songs to life. His amazingly powerful vocals combines with a sense of melody that maximizes the intensity of each song.

If you enjoy 80's bands such as Dokken, Icon, Krokus, and Rough Cutt, you you wil love this album a MUST HAVE CD !

KING KOBRA came and went with a group of other so called "B" and "C" level metal acts in the mid to late 80's. They were one of a hundred bands that were signed in the wake of L.A. glam metal scene explosion. These guys, lead by Carmine Appice on drums, laid down some great pop metal gems, like Theatre of Pain era Motley Crue, Poison, RATT, and others.

READY TO STRIKE is their 1st album, and it kicks some serious ass. The single "Hunger" was their biggest hit, and introduced them to the metal masses. The albums rock songs, "Ready to Strike", "Hunger", "Shake Up", and "Piece of the Rock" rocked and their slow songs were superb. The song "Tough guys don't cry" is a fantastic power ballad on par with any other at the time. If it was released as a single at the time, these guys would've been as big as Cinderella, Poison, or any other bands that played good hard rock with a glam touch.

Sadly this was their only good album. Their next album "Thrill of a Lifetime" sucks to high heaven. They took a complete pop turn and lost their balls. No pun intened towards the singer of KING KOBRA who after the band retired had a sex change and became a woman.

This is one of those CD's that almost no one bought at the time, but over the years has gained a loyal following. Much like Pretty Boy Floyd's "Leather Boys with Electric Toys" or Vinnie Vincent Invasion's self titled album, this one stands out as a undiscovered classic of the genre. If you like those bands or the pop metal genre, pick up this remastered CD and rock it 80's metal style.

I just got mine last week, and it's totally blown me away! It's better then their second and great album, "Thrill Of A Lifetime".
Usually metal or hard rock music are very 'noisy' but this one literally loud and clear, the drums sound like they play in your room right in front of you, can you imaging it? Fantastic! All keeper no filler.
Audio quality: ***** One of a kind (is it Axe Killer record remastering virtuoso or what?)
Performance: ***** really awesome hard rock
Presentation: ***** 8 pages lyrics, liner notes and 2 color photos

This CD gets solid absolutely 5 stars

I FINALLY got my hands on this cd. Brand spanking new on top of that. Good grief this thing is almost impossible to find now. Well worth the effort though. Every song on here rocks, "Dancing With Desire" being the only really exception, and its still not really a bad song. Guess every metal band then needed atleast one slower song or power ballad to prove that even under all that makeup and big hair that bad boy rockers still cared? eh...anyways. It's such a pity these guys didn't get a bigger break during the whole 80's hair metal scene. If your looking to branch out from the more mainstream artists of the 80s metal into some of the better B-list groups pick this one up.

I have to admit I bought this one back in 85 or 86 (for the first time)not knowing what I was buying, I only knew they were the opposite in looks for Motley Crue (because of the hair) and it had Carmine Appice. Other than that I knew nothing.

This one start with a song called Ready to Srike which is very good, but then you hear Hunger (My oh My is this one good or what) from that song the CD doesn't go down for a bit.

I think this guys couldn't make it big because we were too busy with Motley, Ratt, Iron Maiden and all those great groups that darkened a few good bands like this one, Raven and Y&T.

It's a shame they only release this one and 2 or 3 more, because they were catchy, not very intelligent or deep but soft and good. What are they doing know? Who knows, but they should remember this one as a bright moment on their careers.

I recommend this one for whoever like the 80's hard rock or glam metal.

Highlight: Hunger, Breakin'out, Ready to Strike.
Lowlight: As bad as a lowlight? Maybe Dancing With Desire.

"Ready to Strike" is one of the better hair metal albums released in the 80's. Yeah, King Kobra is no Motley Crue or Guns'n'Roses, but if you compare them to the rest of the B- and C-listers, you can definitely tell they're ahead of the pack, especially with Carmine Appice on drums. The title track and the hit single "Hunger" alone make this worth picking up, but the whole thing holds up well over time. King Kobra elicits favorable comparisons to Ratt or Cinderella. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll enjoy this CD.

I did want to comment on an earlier review that stated that this was their only good album. I agree that "Thrill of a Lifetime" was a huge disappointment after their debut, but their third record (titled "III"), released independently and with a new singer, is quality sleaze-rock. Unfortunately, it hasn't been re-issued on CD yet, but you could probably find a used cassette (if, like me, you still HAVE a cassette deck) for about a dollar.

carmine is one of the greatest drummers ever to pick up sticks!! I was a kid when this album came out and I wore it out fast I recommend this to anyone who likes old school metal!!!

I've listened to this band on cassette for years, I couldn't wait to hear them on CD. I have been a fan since my cousin turned me onto it. Hunger, tough guys, ready to strike, they are all killer songs. This is 80's metal in true form. Great riffs, awesome drums, and the top notch vocals that belong to none other than Mark Free...buy it!

"Ready to strike" is the debut album by American glam metal band "King Kobra", originally released in 1985. The band was put together by drum legend Carmine Appice ("Vanilla Fudge", Ozzy), featuring an all star-by today's standards-line up; guitarists David Michael Philips ("Big Cock", "Tunnel") and Mick Sweda ("Bullet Boys"), bassist Johnny Rod ("W.A.S.P.") and phenomenal vocalist Mark Free ("Signal", "Unruly Child").

"King Kobra" were amongst the first bands to fully embrace the glam metal image and visual outrageousness that would become a must for rock bands during the second half of the `80s. Musically however, "King Kobra" stood far apart from the stereotypical glam/sleaze metal band, establishing their brand of extravagant melodic hard rock. From the opening twin guitar intro of "Ready to Strike" you know you are in for a treat; powerful riffs, over the top melodic guitars, immense rhythm section, majestic keyboard harmonies and the most convincing vocal performance by Free. Following the immense chorus and attack of the title track is the passionate hunger, the arena anthem "Shake up", the climactic "Breaking out" plus the drama fuelled "Tough guys" and "Second Thoughts".

Realistically, if you are looking for `80s rock with large choruses, intense vocals, technical instrumentations and spot-on song writing then "Ready to strike" is indeed the album to buy. I suppose it is true that `80s rock does not get any better than this.

King Kobra was a group that enjoyed a somewhat intermittent career during the 1980s. This band had a gift for melodic songwriting. The songs all feature engaging themes, along with catchy hooks. The vocals are both tasteful and pleasant, with nice harmonies. Veteran drummer Carmine Appice lays down powerful rhythms. The guitar riffs and solos complement the singer nicely. Musically, this album sounds like a blend of Triumph and Journey -- metallic instrumental work with smooth, high-range vocals. The mastering on this CD is outstanding, producing crystal clear sound. This band deserved much more recognition that it received. Today, more than twenty years later, the music still holds up, sustaining interest all the way through.