Four men from Rostock have been making waves in the republic for some time under the name HEADZ UP KING. The band has been taken under the wing of Rügencore Records from Bergen auf Rügen. Rügencore Records, the label of the band C.O.R., occasionally releases records from friendly bands (such as the current album from the Berlin band Johnnie Rook) to support them. The idea of friendly solidarity is truly lived out here.
The sound of HEADZ UP KING is quite different compared to C.O.R.. This underscores the aforementioned solidarity, even beyond musical boundaries. Following the motto that there is good music to discover everywhere.
The Rostock band offers a healthy dose of hard rock, a splash of Motörhead, some kick-ass rock, and a bit of blues rock. All of this is nicely mixed together and served up well. What comes out is music that has a lot to offer for fans of rock in its guitar-heavy form. The guitar mentioned earlier is extensively utilized and forms a driving symbiosis with the rhythmically commanding drums. The vocals of singer Abge are the perfect finishing touch to this dish. His voice is rough enough to stand out in this sound but is also trained well enough to effortlessly sing melodic parts without needing massive digital studio technology assistance.
While the rocking songs are the ones that quickly get under your skin, it’s the bluesy pieces that make you pause and really listen. Song number six is the first to evoke this effect in the listener and is special for that reason alone. In slow, rocking pieces, it’s often the case that they are overloaded with effects because one is hesitant to play something completely calm. HEADZ UP KING does not make this mistake. Here, it sounds exactly as it should. This shows the band’s self-confidence, which is also reflected in the faster pieces.
The band from Rostock has created an album with “Three Words” that is sure to please rock fans. You can hear how much effort and passion went into this album with every second. It’s great that the quartet has found a home with Rügencore Records, which can also recommend itself as a label for good rock productions with this release.
