Formed in 1977, the Maryland rockers known as Kix called it a day in 1996. Coming from the hair metal era of rock their style is more akin to AC/DC, good time rock-n-roll with plenty of innuendo and bravado, great for partying and having a good time. Spending the next few years working with other projects the concept of a reunion never dawned on them until they began to see how much fans wanted to hear Kix tunes at their respected solo gigs. This prompted a skeptical but triumph reunion in 2003 that saw the band touring all over the USA and rocking club after club. Now nearly a decade after reuniting Kix release their first studio album since 1995’s Show Bu$$ine$$ titled Rock Your Face Off. Consisting of long-time members Brian “Damage” Forsythe (guitar), Steve Whiteman (lead vocals, harmonica, percussion), Jimmy “Chocolate” Chalfant (drums, percussion, effects, backing vocals), Ronnie “10/10” Younkins (guitar), along with newer mate Mark Schenker (bass, backing vocals) this also marks the band’s first record without key song writer Donnie Purnell. Looking to capture their signature sound after all these years they called on talented producer Taylor Rhodes, who they worked with on 1991’s Hot Wire, to help recapture the magic.
The album kicks off with “Wheels in Motion”, a frantic song which lets just say is not about cars. The jolting opening is followed by an amusing break up song called “You’re Gone.” This is followed by “Can’t Stop the Show” which is about not giving up being a band, and the love of playing live, which thankfully Kix did not. Pure sexual innuendo, cheesy in style “Rollin’ in Honey” is comical and next is the raucous title track which might be about music or might not, either way fans are going to like it. Keeping things going “All the Right Things” is down and dirty, as is “Dirty Girls” which is a real fun song. More sexual innuendo but in a ballad form, which makes it even more humorous, is the song “Inside Outside Inn”, in contrast to “Mean Miss Adventure” which is frenzied but the subject is the same. Again, not to be mistaken for a song about automobiles “Love Me With Your Top Down” is dripping fun and it is followed by “Tail on the Wag” which is not about dogs or cats. Rock Your Face Off concludes with “Rock & Roll Showdown” which is raw and rocking, but is just as much about sex as it is playing live.
Rock Your Face Off see’s Kix reliving a sound and style they were made famous for all those years ago. The songs are old school rock-n-roll and will definitely please their hardcore fan base. Very tongue-in-cheek by nature the album focuses on sex and rock-n-roll and has no pretensions for being anything other than entertaining making it definitely worth a listen. CrypticRock give Rock Your Face Off 4 out of 5 stars
Read the in-depth interview with Kix’s Brian Forsythe:
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Nice. Love that goddam Kix band!
I have been the biggest Kix fan from the beginning, and it pains me to say I just don’t like the new album at all !!.I still love the band 100 % and always will, and thank them for giving a new album a shot, but in my heart the Kix sound isn’t there. One good thing is I know a lot of rocknrollers who love the new album, I would be willing to say that certain band members have to hear what I hear and as awesome as every Kix album before this new one is 100% kix as and the new one should have been released under the Funny Money band name. P.s. Sorry Gene If you see this just had to get it off my chest.