Cherry Red [Release date : 25.07.25]

Something of a pop metal institution, KIX, the band, the brand, retired gracefully from the musicbiz in 2023, more than forty long years after the self titled debut album hit the streets.

CD1 : KIX (1981) w/2 bonus tracks
CD2 : Cool Kids (1983)
CD3 : Midnite Dynamite (1985) w/2 bonus tracks
CD4 : Blow My Fuse (1987) w/3 bonus tracks
CD5 : Hot Wire (1991) w/6 bonus tracks
CD6 : Live (1993)
CD7 : Demos
CD8 : Rock Your Face Off (2014)

Avid readers of Kerrang at its heavy metal/ hard rock zenith will know the name Xavier Russell. By way of introduction, he has contributed entertaining liner notes based on band interviews.

This boxset comprises all 7 of the band’s studio albums released over that timespan, plus the inevitable album of demos…in this case the embryo versions of all the tracks appearing on the band’s most popular recording, the amusingly titled Blow My Fuse.

The finished album broke the US billboard Top Fifty, going on to achieve a Platinum disc. Nothing succeeds like success.

In the beginning : The band had settled on the line-up of Steve Whiteman on vocals, Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe on guitar, Donnie Purnell on bass and Jimmy Chalfant on drums.

Produced by Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath), KIX’s debut featured many stage favourites, including the singles ‘The Itch’, ‘Heartache’ and ‘Atomic Bombs’.

The timing coincided with the launch of MTV.

Opportunity knocked and the band steered their sound away from the debut’s heavy rock toward a relatively lightfooted, easily digested pop metal menu. The Cool Kid album hit the charts a glancing blow, mainly due to lead single ‘Body Talk’, written by Nick Gilder.

Proven (and prolific) songwriter, Bob (Kiss, Judas Priest, Blue Oyster Cult) Halligan jnr, wrote most of the follow up, Midnite Dynamite. Reviewed by Music Week : “Eminently listenable hard rock that makes no attempt to break new ground. It’s buoyant and lively and a hard-to resist.”

1991’s Hot Wire again broke the Billboard Top 100 for the band. Taylor Rhodes produced and along with Halligan wrote most of the album’s material.

Despite the label and financial problems going on backstage, the band rode the whirlwind and delivered an absolute peach of a long player.

Problem was, highly visible on the horizon, the Grunge hordes were closing in fast.

“Game Over” was an exaggeration, but a live album in 1993 with all the “hits” was the band’s last farewell, and the boots duly got hung up.

Only to be rescued from the shelf in 2003, dusted down and polished up.

The reunion band wrote and recorded Rock Your Face Off, a Top 50 Billboard hit. A big hit with the music media too. Stereogum.com : “It’s delirious and catchy, and it proudly flaunts its out-of-fashion party-hard spirit. Its mere existence is inspirational … sometimes, songs are the most important thing.”

Say no more. ***1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

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