King Zebra
Survivors – Golden Robot Records
Playing out like a majestic walk (or more accurately swift jog) through rock’s very own back catalogue Survivors proves to be much more than the sum of its parts. Each song has obvious nods towards Whitesnake, Dokken etc, but King Zebra manage to tie the whole bundle up coherently and with their own personality shining through. For that reason this is a clever record. The Swiss’ debut gives rock obsessives a feast for their ears that has familiarity at its heart. It’s also fresh thanks to intelligent writing and some fine production. It’s like listening to history with new ears, and new ideas. The musicianship is solid with just the right amount of flair coming through. Former China singer Eric St. Michaels turns in a five star performance, leading from the front like a warrior taking his troops into battle. Survivors has taken the best from the past and boot camped it ready to take on the next century. Whoever said rock was dead clearly hasn’t heard King Zebra.
Review by Gary Trueman