PLANET 9
PLANET 9
JAMSYNC RECORDS
RELEASED JULY 2011
1. 40 Days
2. 1000 Years
3. Velvet Glove
4. 32nd Floor
5. $Money$
6. Take Me Away
7. Morning Comes (How I Feel)
8. Broken Pride
9. Bad Attitude
10. I Want It All
11. Chain Of Fools
Planet 9 has been around since 1999 in one form or another, but 2011 sees the release of the debut CD. Coming across just as their press describes them as “southern rock meets The Four Horseman with Kid Rock attitude twisted up with a little flavor of The Almighty” it’s a great sounding album.
There’s a raw edge and simplicity to the sound here especially on songs like ‘1000 Years’ (which features Steve Theado of American Dog) that is timeless. Front man/guitarist Alan ‘AK’ Kennedy has a voice that really suits the Southern flavor of the groove, and Ron Zingaro adds some memorable riffs. It’s what I’d call an ‘honest’ album with no pretension to be anything other than a bloody good Rock and Roll album.
By the time you get into this you realise how persuasive it is. It reminds you of the attitude of the better ballsier and bluesier bands from the late eighties, those with that dirty edge like Junkyard, Gunners. Little Caesar, Rock City Angels or Four Horsemen.
I love songs like ‘Velvet Glove’ that couples simplicity with a great groove. Best for me though are AC/DC riffage and Circus of Power/Rock City Angels-like glower of ‘32nd Floor’. ‘Money’ is a great song too and I love the riff that opens ‘Morning Comes’. It’s rare to find an album these days that enagaes you from start to finish and still leaves you wanting more- this is one.
There’s also a great cover of ‘Chain of Fools’ tagged on the end here, and while to me you cannot beat Ron Young’s Little Caesar’s version from their first album this is a pretty good stab at that classic and most of all it’s great to see that there are bands out there who still take timeless music like that as a reference point.
It may have been a long time coming but this is a very solid release and one it’s hard to put down.
By Mark Diggins
