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Unreleased King Kobra material by three different vocalists

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"King Kobra was one of the better bands to come from the L.A. "hair metal" scene in the mid `80s, but they didn't leave us with very many albums. That's why a collection like The Lost Years was like a gift from above.



The Lost Years is a collection of previously unreleased King Kobra material put together by drummer Carmine Appice. There was a revolving cast of musicians involved with these songs, particularly in the vocal department. The first few tracks feature vocals by original singer Mark Free, and are the closest to the King Kobra we're most familiar with (though leadoff song "Mean Street Machine" sounds like it should be a Y&T song). The middle tracks feature Marq Torien on vocals, who would later go on to front the band Bulletboys. The last few tracks feature vocalist Johnny Edwards, who would go on to (briefly) sing for Foreigner after Lou Gramm's departure. I always thought his work with Foreigner was criminally underrated, and his vocals on these King Kobra tracks are quite strong as well.



The songs collected on The Lost Years are all album-quality, and live up to the King Kobra standard. This collection is a must-have for all serious King Kobra fans, and a should-have for fans of the `80s melodic rock and hair metal scene.

"