Kottak and I
haven't exactly been friends. My first encounter was a gig at Wacken Open Air
2006 which I found nothing less than embarrassing. The Scorpions tour drummer
and the band around him just couldn't cut it. The only positive thing I could
say about that gig was that the drummer of the band had very nice breasts (let
me just emphasise that James Kottak sings and plays guitar in Kottak - he does
not play the drums!). Later that year I reviewed the album 'Therupy' and was
equally not impressed.
When the e-mail came from the editor-in-chief with the as usual long list of
albums for review, I first thought 'fuck no', but then again, I was curious to
hear if there was any development to detect. And when no one else volunteered, I
got the new CD from James Kottak and cohort.
I was pleasantly surprised! Where the last sounds I heard from the band were
terrible, 'Attack' is a very, very enjoyable listen if you're in the mood for a
Cheap Trick/Skid Row/Green Day blend with hints of Van Halen rock. Plenty of bad
boy attitude and party atmosphere plus a couple of fairly mood filled pieces (try
Bang Bang Baby).
Kottak doesn't have a Sebastian Bach voice in any way, but he does a decent job
behind the mic and brings a lot of life to catchy refrains like the one in World
War Love.
It's a bit cheap, but a semi-ballad like Sexy Motherfucker is sure to go down
extremely well with the intoxicated party animals out there. More power to that!
I'm impressed - well done, excellent album!
