DESCRIPTION:
Rock is definitely back in the form of 1RKO. One of the best rock bands to emerge from the L.A. music scene in quite some time. 1RKO powered by Simon Daniels, lead vocals, songwriter and guitars, Derek Stephens on rhythm guitar, Brian Spangenberg on bass/vocals and bringing the thunder, Rich Sacco on the skins. As a unit, I would describe their chemistry like that of an elite military special task force destined for fame. All this brings their talents together forming one powerful fighting, in this case, rock and roll machine. The band's debut release, "First Round Knockout", packs one hell of a knockout punch! There are plenty of hooks and catchy choruses that are solid rock and loaded with tons of bad boy attitude. The result is an album of hard rock and modern rock anthems laced with a production of an AOR release packing powerhouse radio friendly singles. As evident once you press play. The band comes out swinging with a killer cover of the Sweet classic, "Fox On The Run". There is no let up from there as tracks like, "One More Time". "Right Now", "The Man" and lead off single, "So Alive", go for the throat. 'First Round Knockout' is extremely rock solid from beginning to end. There is absolutely no filler material on this album. Some are based on a very hard-rocking, infectious guitar hook. Others revolve around a big sing-along chorus. The rest fall somewhere in between with a combination of the two. All in all, in an age where rock and roll seems to be calling it quits or switching its sound out of embarrassment, it's really cool to see a song driven band stepping up to the plate and flying the flag. 1RKO clearly has a new rock pioneering sound of their own, and they own it. If there is any musical taste left in America, this is a band soon to be legend. I strongly recommend this CD to ANYONE, even those who aren't usually into rock music. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Without a doubt one of the best rock bands to come out in the last 20 years. Amazing and electrifying to see live, this band is the REAL DEAL. The rebirth of good, hard rock music has arrived in the form of, 1RKO!
Review By: The Atomic Chaser/ All Access Magazine- Los Angeles