Customer Reviews

Vices

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have owned this recording since it first came out on vinyl and also purchased it on tape and have worn them both out though the years. This is nothing but 80's raw, bar sounding, head banging, lets go to a party music. It is a screaming guitar CD with that 80's screaming metal voice in the foreground. Don't pass this one up if your looking for the 'not so popular' 80's metal madness.

This debut album from Kick Axe showcases their melodic sensibilities, as well as their killer 4 part harmonies. The production work by Spencer Proffer (Quiet Riot, King Kobra) is state of the art, with the huge drum, guitar, & vocals. Check out "On the road to rock", & "Dreamin' about you" for examples of this. Of course "Heavy Metal Shuffle", & "Alive & Kickin'" are absolute, bonefide rock anthems that stand up with most anything from '80's metal land. This album is a must have for any fan of quality 80's metal that appreciates great song writing (Kick Axe also wrote songs for King Kobra, & W.A.S.P to name a few)guitar work, & kick-[butt] vocals.

This is one of my all time favorite releases from the 80s Hard Rock/Metal era. I have waited for this to be released on CD for years. It Rocks !!!! Kick Axe is one of the most under-rated bands of the era. You will not be disappointed. This is a must for any CD collection. If I was left on a desert island and could only have 5 CDs this would definately be one of them !!!! The vocals, the guitar, and other effects are blended into what is truly a Hard Rock classic.

This is one for all the ages. One of the most underrated bands ever to exist, Kick Axe will blow your head away.

I have listened to this album for the first time in 1984 and I was really impressed and today after 17 years my feelings are still the same. In one word - excellent! Don't hesitate and buy it! No doubt, it's one of the best heavy rock albums ever! If you wanna know more about Kick Axe, see unofficial sites: web.quick.cz/mdb/kickaxe.

Vices(1984). Kick Axe's debut studio album.

Beneath a huge mass of successful hair metal acts such as Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue, Ratt, and Bon Jovi, there were even more bands that never hit big, but rocked every bit as much as their more famous contemporaries. To me, I've always been more of a fan of the heavier hair metal bands whose sound borderlined on actual heavy metal music, such as Twisted Sister, Tesla, Skid Row, and W.A.S.P. Coming from Canada, Kick Axe was one of these bands. Though they have technically been around since 1976, KA went through numerous lineup changes until finally in 1984, they managed to cut a deal with producer Spencer Proffer and made their first studio album. For those who don't know, Spencer Proffer was also the producer of Quiet Riot's most successful album Metal Health(1983), and went on to produce for W.A.S.P. and others. Here we have George Criston on vocals, Raymond Arthur Harvey and Larry Gillstrom on lead guitars, Victor Langen on bass, and Brian Gillstrom on drums. None of these guys are famous at all, but they are good at this genre of metal, so the band has good cohesion. I especially like the vocals because they are different than most other vocalists of hair metal bands at the time.

Here we have Vices. The first track 'Heavy Metal Shuffle' grabs your attention right away with catchy hooks abound. The title track and 'Stay On Top' are both pounding anthems, loud and commanding the way rockers should be. The latter track segues smoothly right into 'Dreaming About You', which is sort of a semi-ballad, though still heavy enough to compete with the other songs. 'Maneater' has a cool pace to it, though the section between the 2nd chorus and solo is just weird with its sound effects. You'd have to hear it to see what I mean. The hard rocking anthems continue with 'On The Road To Rock' and the fastpaced 'Cause For Alarm'. 'Alive & Kicking' is a little more lightweight, but still a very catchy and interesting track. 'All The Right Moves' is cool enough, though probably the weakest song on the album. The closing track 'Just Passin' Through' partially reminds me of Dio's 'Holy Diver' and Def Leppard's 'Billy's Got A Gun'.

So is Vices a worthy investment? If you like 80s styled metal, you bet! Anyone who is a fan of W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, and/or Dokken owes it to themselves to add this to their collection. To me, it fits well along with some of the more popular albums of the time, though it never got the credit it deserved. If you buy any version of this album at all, make sure that you get the imported copy. Not only is it cheaper, but the album has been digitally remastered and it contains a booklet with interesting liner notes. Kick Axe went on to record songs for the Transformers Movie under the name Spectre General, and released two more albums Welcome To The Club(1985) and Rock The World(1986) before disbanding. They were good albums, though not on the level of Vices. Recently though, the band reformed and are going to release a new album sometime this year, called IV(2004), so if you're a fan, look out for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Other recommendations:
-'W.A.S.P.' by W.A.S.P.
-'Metal Health' by Quiet Riot
-'You Can't Stop Rock & Roll' by Twisted Sister
-'Pyromania' by Def Leppard

I never thought that I would see the day that this would FINALLY be re-issued on CD. ... I like to listen to this CD and pretend that it is 1984 again when rock-and-roll had a soul ... JUST BUY THE CD!

Definitely one of the best Hard Rock releases of the 80's. Great vocals, screaming guitars, hot harmonies and background vocals, and a really good drummer. This is my favorite of 3 releases I have by Kick Axe. There's the non-stop "Heavy Metal Shuffle", the moving "Stay on Top", "Maneater", and my favorite "Dreaming About You", which is more of a ballad. "Dreaming" makes it hard to understand why Kick Axe wasn't standing at the top of the mountain in the 1980's. The song has everything. If you're looking for classic metal from the 80's give this a shot. Great stuff!

these guys really knew how to rock it up on vices with songs like heavy metal shuffle a real blood pumper along with maneater alive & kickin a bad a** tune dreamin about you may very well be my favorite song on this album starting out slow with a dreamy folk guitar and lite percussion for maybe a minute and then all of the sudden it rips your throat out and jams , the last song on this c.d just passin thru is a great tune too it sounds a lot like george criston singing and zztops rhythm section quite a catchy tune , this c.d needs to be reissued mastered or something great unknown band i have a skimpy recording but i dont think i wanna pay what these vendors want its bad enough puttin gas in my vehicles!!!!!! but if you want it bad enough you will pay the price maybe even me but not today!!!

someone's high on crack if they think any cd is worth $200 asking price. This is a great album but no ten songs by anyone is worth the asking price on this. Put the pipe down....why are so few copies of this available..in this day and age why is this not widely available?