_{I’m really delighted to have received the new Kings of the Sun album “Rock Til Ya Die” in advance of its release; at a date still to be confirmed. The line-up may have changed with former lead singer Jeff Hoad no longer being in the band, but Clifford Hoad has done an excellent job taking over on lead vocals as well as retaining the drummer’s seat. The band promised to deliver “high voltage Aussie rock” and that is exactly what they’ve done. The album has a real classic, gutsy, no-nonsense rock n roll vibe.}

_{I was a fan of Kings of the Sun in the late 80s, even before seeing them play The Kings Hall in Belfast when they supported Kiss. Jump forward about 20 years to 2006/2007 and I found The Rich and Famous which featured the two Hoad brothers on MySpace. In fact, for a long time “Stand Back” by the latter band was my profile song on MySpace (for those who remember those days!!). In 2010, Clifford Hoad was the first person I ever interviewed for Rock Radio NI (http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/662-clifford-hoad-kings-of-the-sun-interview.html). Now, in 2013 we finally we get the first new material from Kings of the Sun since 1993 and indeed the first new recording in any guise since “Stand Back..Prepare To Be Amazed” in 2007.}

_{The album was recorded in March 2013 with Clifford on vocals and drums, Quentin Elliott (a member of the band in the late 90s) on lead guitar, Dave Talon (from Rollerball) on rhythm guitar and Govinda Doyle (who engineered and produced the album) on bass. An official release date is still to be confirmed, but keep an eye on the internet for details. The album is released independently through Clifford Hoad Music but there has already been interest from European record labels.}

_{There are 11 tracks on the album and it’s hard to pick favourites, but if forced I might go for “Fire On The Mountain”, “Rocktown”, “Geronimo”, “Reach for the Bottle (Mescal 109)” and the title track “Rock Til Ya Die”.}

_{For more information check out http://www.kingsofthesunband.com/ or follow the band at https://www.facebook.com/CliffHoad.KINGS.OF.THE.SUN or https://twitter.com/KINGS_OFTHE_SUN}

_{About “NI Rocks Recommends”}

_{I'm not a reviewer but wanted to acknowledge some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI by artists, promoters and labels both within and outside of N Ireland. That was the idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends”. I'm not giving marks or ratings, trying to categorise bands or compare artists. The albums that I’ll be recommending would be those I’d buy myself, so there’ll be a strong focus on “classic rock” sounds; however you wish to define that! What you won’t get is death metal or similar genres. Each to his own, but that ain’t what I choose to listen to!}

_{To be honest I’m not really a big fan of the whole idea of “Reviews” as they’re simply one person’s opinion!!  “NI Rocks Recommends” is therefore just my personal recommendation. Let's just say that if I've went to the bother of writing this, I think it's worth taking a listen to and you’ll be hearing it played on my shows on Rock Radio NI!!}

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