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Tracks:

1. I Love The Things You Hate

2. Born To Rock

3. Party Queen

4. Are You Ready, I'm Ready

5. Only The Best Die Young

6. We Come Alive

7. Longtime Cumin'

8. Bad Boys

9. All The Little Things                             

10. Bigtime Party                                                    

We all know that Scandinavia is currently the biggest haven for the glam and sleaze genre. But, the region also contributed music during the heyday of the '80s with bands like Europe and, one of my favorites, TNT. Somehow, though, Bai Bang got lost in the shuffle.

This Swedish band has released six albums, including this one, with their first release taking place back in 1989 (Enemy Lines). Bai Bang's current lineup is Diddi Kastenholt on vocals, Pelle Eliaz on guitar and backing vocals, Joacim Sandin on bass and backing vocals, and Jonas Langebro on drums.

Bai Bang has toured extensively during their time together, including tours throughout Europe, Japan, Canada and the U.S. They've held opening slots on tours with Dio, Ratt, Alice Cooper, Pretty Maids, L.A. Guns and others, and have played large festivals such as the Wacken Open Air in Germany, the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma in the U.S.

With a sound that will appeal to fans of bands like Stryper, Winger, Warrant, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, it's surprising that this band has slipped under the radar and hasn't become more well known. (In fact, Diddi's vocals sound like a mixture of Kip Winger, Jon Bon Jovi and Joe Eliott.) This latest release has some great tunes that will have you reminiscing about the days when hair was high, Aqua Net wafted through the air, guys wore tight pants that left little to the imagination and girls wore short, tight dresses that left even less to the imagination. It's all about fun, fun, fun.

Highlights from this album include “Longtime Cumin'”, with its decidedly Def Leppard feel, “We Come Alive”, which has a groovin' beat and catchy guitar riff, and “Only The Best Die Young”, a moving ballad and tribute to friends who've left us before their time. The album also features the requesite love song in “All The Little Things”. However, my personal favorites are “I Love The Things You Hate”, an ass shakin' tune that'll really grab you, and “Party Queen”, a rollicking party song that could have been my anthem during the '80s!

With all the rock music that exists nowadays with dark depressing lyrics, this CD is a breath of fresh air. It's nice to have some music that just makes you feel good. If there was more music like this there'd be a lot less people on anti-depressants! 

This CD is available at Amazon.com, or you can go to the band's MySpace page for more info.

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Reviews of:

Big Cock's
"MotherLoad" (2007)  and, 

"Year Of The Cock" (2005)

Reviewed by Tawny Khat on April 24, 2009
Art direction & design for "MotherLoad" CD cover by David Henzerling
Cover art for "Year of the Cock" CD cover by Moises & Rick Westcott
CDs provided courtesy of Big Cock


Tracks on "MotherLoad":
1. Get a Load of Me
2. Stamina
3. Breaking My Balls
4. Bump and Grind
5. Road to Ruin
6. Slave
7. Don't Ask Me to be Faithful
8. Live to Rock
9. M.I.L.F.
10. Feverish
11. Built for Speed

Okay, I know these albums have already been reviewed numerous times, but I'm going to throw in my loose change anyway. After all, this webzine wasn't in existence yet when these albums were released. So, with regards to "MotherLoad", released in early 2008, I love, love, love, love, love this album. It is definitely Big Cock's best release to date, and with this album they've proved that they truly are the saviors of arena rock. Their sound is big, bold, and powerful.

Big Cock has perfected their style with this release. The songwriting is excellent. It's a dirty, gritty, raw style that harkens back to a time when bands played huge arenas to sold out crowds; the early days of AC/DC and Van Halen on through to the era of "hair bands" like Dokken and Ratt. This album flat out rocks from beginning to end, only slowing down once for the power ballad, "Don't Ask Me to be Faithful", which in true Big Cock style delivers a message that's the opposite of what you'd usually expect from a "love" song.

"MotherLoad" starts off strong with one of the best tracks on the album, "Get a Load of Me". It's got a great, strong beat and feels a bit like AC/DC meets Lynch Mob (the Lynch Mob part, I'm sure, coming from Robert Mason's vocals, since he was also the vocalist for that band). Robert IS an arena vocalist, with a voice big enough and strong enough to fill an arena. He's got superb range and flexibility.

Next is "Stamina", a fist pumping rocker a little like some early Sammy Hagar stuff. It features some cool guitar riffs and a very nice solo courtesy of Big Cock guitarist David Henzerling. David always does a fantastic job of performing solos that aren't overdone. That's an excellent quality to have, because it's very easy to go overboard when injecting guitar solos into songs. "Stamina" is followed by the head bangin' tune, "Breaking My Balls".

"Bump and Grind", the next song on the album, is probably the most "glam" tune on the CD. It's one of my favorite tracks. It's got a killer beat to dance to, and I can definitely picture strippers gyrating to this song while performing on stage! One thing that's evident throughout the album, and all of Big Cock's albums for that matter, is the strong Bonhamesque drumming delivered by John "The Pulverizer" Covington. "Bump and Grind" is followed by another AC/DC inspired tune, "Road to Ruin". Robert's vocals really shine on this song!

The next track is another highlight on this release. It's called "Slave" and it's down and dirty. Robert's vocals are so sexy on this track. It's very hot! The power ballad, "Don't Ask Me to be Faithful" is next, followed by the rock anthem, "Live to Rock".

The last three tracks on this album are also some of my favorites. "M.I.L.F" is a catchy, somewhat bluesy tune that just brings a smile to your face. It's got an infectious beat and when Robert screams like Roger Daltrey in The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", I get chills! The next song, "Feverish", is sort of a mid-tempo tune with some very nice bass riffs from Colby. It feels a bit like Ratt's "Way Cool Junior". The album finishes on a very high note with "Built for Speed". This is probably the hardest rockin' tune on the album, and it's adrenaline pumping style makes you want to stand on the throttle out on the open road. It's kind of the same feeling you get from Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55".

This album is a must for any rock 'n' roller's CD collection. This IS rock, pure and simple. It's no frills, straight up rock the way it was meant to be.



Tracks on "Year of the Cock":
1. Bad Motherfucker
2. I Want it All
3. Cinnamon
4. King of Cool
5. Carrie's in Love
6. Mean Street Machine
7. Take it Off
8. Dynamite
9. Hard to Swallow
10. Old No. 7
11. You Suck the Love Out of Me
12. Year of the Cock
13. Rock 'n Roll Aholic*

*Bonus track

Now, although I said that "MotherLoad" is Big Cock's best album to date, that in no way diminishes their other albums. This is a group of extremely talented professionals, and they've displayed their talent right from the beginning with their first album, "Year of the Cock". Many of the tunes on this release are a bit more melodic than those on "MotherLoad", but it contains plenty of hard rockin' tracks, as well.

Big Cock kicks off this album with the ballsy track, "Bad Motherfucker". It's got a heavy, driving beat and a short, sweet guitar solo. It's also one of the best songs on this release. It's followed by "I Want it All", which is some driving down the boulevard with the top down, good time rock 'n' roll.

Two more highlights from "Year of the Cock" are "Cinnamon", a 70s arena rock style song with a great beat perfect for dancing to, and "King of Cool", a bit of an AC/DC inspired tune that's unabashedly arrogant.

After the next song, the ballad "Carrie's in Love" come two covers from David Henzerling's former band King Kobra. "Mean Street Machine" is a rockin' Y&T meets Judas Priest style tune. And, "Take it Off" has a kind of Lynch Mob, Dokken, and Whitesnake feel to it.

The next track on the album is killer. It's called "Dynamite" and it's what I call, "Don't f*ck with me!" music. I hope that's self-explanatory. It's followed by the humorous, "Hard to Swallow", a ballad dripping with double entendre. Not since AC/DC's "Big Balls" has a song been so fun.

The straight up rocker, "Old No. 7" is up next, followed by more grins with with the dirty ditty, "You Suck the Love Out of Me". Then the mid-tempo title track, "Year of the Cock", is followed by the last song on the album, the bonus track entitled, "Rock 'n Roll Aholic". It's a rock anthem with a fantastic beat. It's a fun song and when you listen to it you can just tell that the members of Big Cock are having a blast doing what they're doing.

I highly recommend both of these CDs, and of course, encourage you to check out their self-titled second release, too. They're available at iTunes, Amazon, and many other places. For more info you can also visit the band's MySpace page. Also, make sure to read my interview with Big Cock guitarist Dave Henzerling. You can also check out our video page to see some Big Cock videos. Enjoy!

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Review of:

Black Robot's self-titled debut album (2009)

Reviewed by Tawny Khat on May 13, 2009
CD artwork by Spanky (www.myspace.com/spankystudio)
Logo by Chuck Sperry
Provided courtesy of Black Robot


Tracks:
1. Baddass
2. Cocaine
3. Momma Don't Cry
4. I'm In Love
5. Money
6. In My Car
7. Black Robot
8. Love On A .45
9. Stop The World
10. Dissatisfaction
11. Nervous Breakdown              Black Robot on Amazon


Black Robot members, vocalist Huck Johns (Detroit native who, in addition to his solo work, has worked with Kid Rock in the past), guitarist Yogi Lonich (ex-Buckcherry and Chris Cornell band member), bass player Johathan "JB" Brightman (ex-Buckcherry member) and drummer Devon Glenn (ex-Buckcherry member), have created a very strong debut with their self-titled 2009 release. The band's influences include such classic groups as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Black Crowes, AC/DC and others. These influences are reflected in the classic straight forward rock 'n' roll style of this album.

For me, the first four tracks on the album are the strongest, with the first track, "Baddass", being my favorite. Huck's powerhouse vocals are a perfect fit for this band, and "Baddass", a straight up hard rocker, actually reminds me a bit of Big Cock with its big arena rock sound. I love this song!

Black Robot then does a masterful cover of the J.J. Cale classic, "Cocaine". Their version has the strong drum beat and catchy guitar hooks that are clearly a nod to AC/DC. It also features a helluva guitar solo.

"Cocaine" is followed by the powerful tribute to military moms, "Momma Don't Cry". This mid-tempo tune has the classic heavy rock feel of something from the early 70s, maybe with a smattering of a Hendrix influence here and there.

The next song, "I'm In Love", is one of two ballads on the album, the other being "Stop The World". Now, as many of you know I'm a gal who likes to rock, and I don't go in for sappy ballads. But, these tunes are fantastic! The guitar and piano (courtesy of guest pianist Fred Mandel) lend a bit of a southern flair to the songs. However, "I'm In Love" at times reminds me a bit of Soundgarden, too. I also love the guitar solo in "Stop The World". It is very soulful, played with a lot of feeling. Maybe that's why I like these ballads so much. You can feel real emotion behind them. They're not just spewing out goo hoping to make girls cry.

The track, "Money", with its distorted guitar and cool drum beats, at times reminds me a little bit of something from Jet. "In My Car" and "Black Robot" continue the classic rock feel of the album. There's something reminiscent of classic Deep Purple and Black Sabbath in "Black Robot".

"Love On A .45" features some killer guitar work from Yogi, and "Dissatisfaction" has the heavy drums and guitar distortion that give it a slight Zeppelin feel. The last track on Black Robot's debut album is "Nervous Breakdown". It's a funky mid-tempo tune with some cool organ playing by Fred Mandel.

As debuts go, this one is right up there. The production values are great, the musicianship is primo, and the vocals are among the best in the biz, not to mention the awesome songwriting by this group. As I said, the first few songs are my faves (although I like the others, too), so if these guys do more like those in the future, I'm in!

You can purchase "Black Robot" at Amazon.com, and for more info about the band, please visit their MySpace page and/or website.