Concrete Killers

Of that highly venerated sub genre of metal we refer to as US power, there exist universally hailed titans - such as your Crimson Glory, and your Liege Lord, but equally a number of arguably as talented but underappreciated acts such as Damien or Slauter Xstroyes. I've always felt that Shok Paris falls within the latter camp. Along with bands such as Banshee, they kicked off with a bang, putting out a slew of rock solid records, carved out of pure fistbanging metal. Three full lengths of solid material, representing a balance of tough as nails attitude, stand-out riffage, killer hooks, overloaded with energy and even present with enough possibility for commercial success. Shok Paris, with their knack at crafting solid full lengths, their catchiness, and hell - even having track featured in the thrilling car chase scene in the ultra badass sci-fi action horr flick The Hidden (1987), seemed to have just about all the requirements to break into commercial success, but for various reasons, as with Banshee, they never quite made it. Shok Paris, though highly regarded in underground circles, never really is heard uttered in the same breath as Queensryche, Liege Lord or Flotsam & Jetsam. Slightly lower down the popularity scale (only a couple of reviews on Metal Archives at the time of writing), and though the band is being increasingly talked about more recently, I still feel they're somewhat under-appreciated, for what they managed to accomplish - again, i think of Damien and Banshee.

'Concrete Killers' - the terrific Ohio band's third full length, dropped in '89 after the punishingly tough debut of '84, and the professional and pounding follow up 'Steel & Starlight' - with it's wicked album art. It's definitely the less talked about of the trilogy, and when it is mentioned, it is often subject of either dismissal or lukewarm reaction - especially considering the exceptional quality of the preceding records. While I'd say i agree that Concrete Killers is definitely the weaker of the three, it's in actuality still quite a strong an album, it's just that the bar was set pretty high early on. It's perhaps a little patchier than the previous efforts, but there are strong tracks on offer and flashes of that real Shok Paris magic that made the first two records brilliant additions to the US power canon. I've pinned down a few of the weaknesses here, but before continuing I'd like to say that with Shok Paris being such a unique and talented outfit, their 'weakest' album is probably better than many of the best efforts of the lesser known acts from the scene. Let's explore it further:

For me, and some of my longhair brethren, the appeal of Shok Paris' menacing brand of US heavy/power is in no small part due to the excellent riffs, and the super catchy choruses and hooks. It's real fist pumping stuff with lots of 'tude and aggression. Absolutely incredible way to start off the day. The band has such a commanding way of delivering such tracks, and the first two albums are just oozing with balls and these incredibly memorable fist-pumping numbers. From the sophomore effort 'Castle Walls' is super catchy and headbangable with its excellent chorus and fantastic leads. From the debut, the instant classic 'Go for the Throat' is a number with real hooks that captures the snarling attitude of the US metal movement perfectly. 'Exhibit A' kicks off with bitchin' riffage and commands throughout. 'Lost Queen' in much the same fashion. The are the types of numbers that sold many on Shok Paris then and now, and while the sound of Concrete Killers is very much identical to the previous offerings, this perfect crafting of memorable dominator after dominator is present in somewhat of a diminished quantity. The albums are great, but the songs often don't just burst out and kick your ass with as much force as the previous ones do.

First off 'American Dream' seems like an odd choice for the album's single, and opener track. The chorus is really just a bit flat and lackluster, and we're talking about a band who crunches out bangers like 'Go for the Throat' here, boys. Your follow up number 'Been Away Too Long' bests it by having a more memorable chorus, and some fantastic leads. This cut, with its slower tempo, has a sombre vibe and makes use of some nice acoustic bits for added vibes. Killer chorus here. The titular track here is pretty bitchin' here too, but something about it holds it back from attaining the boss stature of some of the out and out rippers on-board the first and second records. One of the more memorable numbers here is 'The Heat and the Fire' which is a standout offering the same brilliance as the killer cuts from the other records. Straight up 80s US metal - insanely catchy chorus, beautiful guitar leads and some killer vocals - watch for the highest Shok Paris vocals of all time in this one.

Basically the album offers a couple of tracks not quite up to the standard of the earlier ones, but there are also several cuts of high calibre on offer here. While i'd have to agree that if you had to pick a weaker Shok Paris LP, I, along with 90% of fans I'm sure, would pick this one, that doesn't in anyway signify its a bad album - far from it. The musical direction is exactly what any fan of the band would want - same tried and true approach here, but it's just ever so slightly less commanding. I'd absolutely advise fans of the band to get their mits on this one - it's enjoyable and pounding, and I've found it grows on me more and more each time, after some initial disappointment on first listen a couple years back. Shok Paris' third LP here can most certainly be regarded as a good record, and even easily as a worthy successor to the other records from the band. The only drawback is at times it lacks that extra bit of x-factor that made the other records so goddamn mindblowing. Still plenty of quality here, and definitely worth getting.