KILLER – Monsters of Rock

KILLER – Monsters of Rock

Maybe this third go around will be the charm for Belgian heavy metal trio Killer. "Monsters of Rock" is the latest album from this band that originated in the 1980’s- impressing audiences through albums like "Wall of Sound" and "Shock Waves". Back together since 2002, this is their seventh studio album- and first in a decade, so I’m not necessarily surprised to see this packed to the hilt in terms of 15 songs and almost 70 minutes of music.

Unfortunately, a lot of this material is cut and paste, run of the mill efforts that wouldn’t make the grade for Motörhead or Saxon records these days, and guitarist Shorty’s vocals are very tired and weak, making "Shotgun Symphony" and "Hold Your Head Up High" painful to take in beyond my initial few listening sessions. The ballad "Making Magic" does feature a stunning lead break, but those moments are fleeting overall. "Monsters of Rock" doesn’t have enough bite to sustain longevity, so stick to those early 80’s records for your Killer fix.

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