Aftershok
Burning Chrome

November 2005
Released: 2005, Auburn Records
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Let’s face it, life doesn’t offer too many second chances – and odds are even worse in the music business! So I don’t know what ‘ol Vic Hix did to deserve a second go ‘round, but he’s got that and more right now. See, after Vic’s old (new again?) band of ass-kickers Shok Paris fizzled out, he was able to hook up with fellow classic metal lover George Mihalovich and put together the equally as kickass Aftershok. Since 1996 this crew has been tearing it up, with the well-received UNFINISHED BUSINESS album, and now their long-awaited follow up, BURNING CHROME.

If Vic did just one thing to right in the time since Shok Paris’ halcyon years, it was keep his powerful vocals intact – he rips just as much on this album as he ever did on Paris debut album, GO FOR THE THROAT. The fact that Mihalovich and crew come flying out of the gate with track after track of classic metal just adds to the magic. This isn’t just some nostalgia act though – Aftershok are as viable as any other “modern” band today – more so in many cases. Just take one listen to rumbling opener “Sons of Thunder” and you’ll be headbangin’, air guitarin’, and singin’ along in no time.

It seems that now is the time for Aftershok to make their move, as more and more fans are beginning to discover there is more to 80’s metal than thrash and German power metal. Thanks to newcomers like Ignitor, quality traditional metal is on the rise, but Aftershok show that even old rock dogs still have a few classic riffs left in ‘em.