TKO - In Your Face [Remastered] (2016)

Digitally remastered and expanded edition including ten bonus tracks. Sadly, TKO's initial momentum was quickly squashed when their label, Infinity Records, made a disastrous financial blunder by signing Pope John Paul II, with a non-recoupable $6 million dollar advance. It was an investment that forced the collapse of the label, leaving TKO cast adrift trying to pick up the pieces in a world that was always looking for new fresh talent rather than rescuing those who were left floundering in shallow water. So TKO, needed to reinvent themselves in a way that didn t evoke the tired formulaic arena rock of the past. In this respect, the band, now led by Brad Sinsel, set about not only reconstructing their line up but also a new sound. This time around they honed in on raw hard rock, crafting a sound that had more in common with European tastes than American acts. Enlisting musicians that included guitarist Adam Bomb Brenner and signing a production deal with producer Rick Keefer, the band flew to Hawaii and recorded In Your Face, arguably one of the best American hard rock records of the era. Despite the quality of their material, getting a deal proved problematic, resulting in the band splintering, to be brought back into existence by Sinsel when Combat Records eventually offered a contract. Ahead of it's time, the riffs and aggression were raw, hard and unrelenting. In fact, the record was hailed as a minor masterpiece influencing much of the US hard rock scene for years to come.