Strike Twice Strike Twice

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by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Strike Twice is another ‘80s pop-hard-rock-band that found regional success but a major recording contract quite elusive. Living the rock-star lifestyle, the band’s level of commitment led to a strong following of fans. Practice, practice, practice; the band spent plenty of time honing their chops and stage show. To the detriment of the band, the arrival of Grunge and a series of events that boils down to bad luck led to the band’s demise in ’93.

Thanks to Eonian Records’ dedication to rediscovering bands that were lost in the mire of an over-abundance of bands from this decadent time period, we finally can listen to the music of Strike Twice.

Their 10-song, self-titled release is a polished hard rock record that encapsulates the big-time, arena-filling anthems and superior quality production of the time period. This doesn’t remotely sound like old demos that were dug up and re-mastered. Their dedication to mastering their instruments and strong song writing ability make this studio effort a diamond in the rough.

Following in the footsteps of their peers for the time period (Warrant, Poison, Motley Crue), the band delivers those elements with confidence and style. They have that swagger that would have made them an MTV staple and arena crowd pleaser.

The music has that party-rock vibe, featuring very catchy vocal hooks and guitar riffs. Vocalist Michael Hayes’ voice sounds a little like Vince Neil at times. Of the 10 songs, only the ballads “Never Let Go,” “Wake Up Cryin’” and “One Night With You” drag the momentum of the CD down a bit. Obviously, it was quite popular at the time to have a ballad among your collection of songs. These could have been left off the CD, as it doesn’t bring anything new to the table that we haven’t heard before.

Excluding the ballads, the rest of CD is all business. Leaving us with seven solid hard rock anthems such as “Tango,” “Tuff Luck,” “Get It,” we can get past those ballads. Attitude is rampant on the closing song, “D.F.W.M.” It’s reminiscent of the youthful angst that we all had for anyone that pushed us the wrong way in our younger days. Hell, the battle cry is relevant today and you can actually understand the lyrics.

Strike Twice is a great find among a host of mediocre bands that have been lost and found again in recent years.

Label: Eonian Records

Band:
Michael Hayes – Lead and backing vocals
Randi Price – Drums, percussion, and backing vocals
Rob Luv – Guitars
Chaz Domino – Bass and backing vocals
Trixx – Guitars

Track Listing:
1. Tuff Luck
2. Intoxication
3. Never Let Go
4. Get It
5. Dirty Lover
6. One Night With You
7. Undress Me
8. Wake Up Cryin’
9. Tango
10. D.F.W.M 11. Back Door

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10