What would have happened if Led Zeppelin were rooted in rockabilly and not the blues? We’ll never know but King Mob a supergroup of Chris Spedding (guitar), Glen Matlock (bass – Sex Pistols), Martin Chambers (drums – Pretenders), Stephen W Parsons aka Snips – (vocals – Sharks) and new guitarist Sixteen have produced a new album “Force 9” that shares a similar sensibility.
Blasting off with opener “Lover Of High Renown” with its insistent riffs and pounding bass and drums the pace rarely lets up for the rest of the album. What’s particularly impressive is that they are welded to pop hooks. They instantly ingrain themselves into your head and are embodied by “Who’s Chasing Who” and “Va Vah Voom”. When they slow the tempo in “Chapel Of Love” the atmosphere increases and builds to a marching crescendo. Lead single “Selene Selene”, like much of the record’s structure, is wedded with an infectious simplicity allied to a power and urgency rarely heard in the past twenty years.
Ultimately, I hope that “Force 9” gets the airplay it deserves and doesn’t become another lost classic uncovered by collectors in years to come. It’s a definitive purchase for those who like their hooks heavy and one of the albums of the year.
