Tag: shok paris

Hailing from the self professed rock n’ roll capital of the world, Cleveland, Ohio this is Shok Paris’ second and best album that came out in ’87. Treading that fine line between melodic rock and metal at times, they make a wonderful noise indeed. Fronted by the huge voice of Vic Hix (who reminds me of a more metal Parramore McCarty) and and the ever present guitarist Ken Erb, they had their shot for a brief moment but it just didn’t quite happen for them.

Now, if they had more songs like opener Go Down Fighting, I think it would have been a slam dunk for these guys. A high octane melodic metal gem with killer twin guitars and an epic opening, this track definitely hits the spot. You get the same killer opening to Side 2 with On Your Feet. Side 2 is more loaded than Side 1 which, in my experience, never happens. Fallin’ For You and Hot On Your Heels are also great tunes. It just shows how the sequencing of a record can make all the difference. However, four great songs don’t make a great album and there are a few fillers.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the third full length studio album by Shok Paris. It came out in ’89 and would be the last until Full Metal Jacket came out in 2020.

Good old fashioned heavy metal with a powerhouse vocalist is the recipe here. Vic Hix has an amazing set of pipes and the twin guitar riff machine that is Ken Erb and Eric Marderwald make a wonderful noise. Ken Erb was the only original member on all albums, but he recently passed and the band are now in limbo.

This album is not as strong as its predecessor Steel & Starlight, but there are still some great hidden nuggets of melodic metal goodness. The Heat And The Fire is a great up tempo groover. My favourite track is Find A Way Out with double kicks pounding all the way, Vic sounds like Graham Bonnet blasting it out and the solo is killer. Taking the tempo down a notch with Memories, which is a killer brooding monster of a tune.

They just needed that bit of luck and who knows.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.