KILLER BEE – Eye In The Sky (Album Review)

The darkness has descended and the end of the year is just around the corner. Perfect conditions to test drive some new music in the semi-light of morning on the way to the day job.

Killer Bee are a new listening experience for me. Although the band has been around since the early 1990’s, Eye In The Sky is the first release I have heard from his Canadian-Swedish outfit.

As I pulled away from home, the sound of static filled my car and the title track sprang into life. It was a fabulous piece of hard rock, which combined the Hammond organ of prime Deep Purple with the melodic nous of Def Leppard, with a vocalist who reminded me of Blackie Lawless of WASP (ironically, for Bees). It was only the start of a fantastic musical journey, which took me to work and back, gunning the engine and roaring along to the sound of songs such as “One Step Closer” and “Joystick Warrior“.

The album is a joy to drive to, pumping you with aural adrenaline and is perfectly experienced at eleven, even without a Marshall stack. It slugs you around the head like some UFC fighter and then drills into your brain like a jackhammer. The vocals of Brian “Bee” Frank are strong, the guitar work of Andre´Hägglund and Denny DeMarchi is joyous, with the solos covering melodies that make you take notice…Nice work! What I liked best was the modern “throwback” Hammond organ, tipping its hat to Jon Lord and Purple. The interplay between keyboards and guitars on songs such as “Higher And Higher” is really something else.

“Get On Board” is a riot and “Right Between The Eyes” swaggers like Elvis had just joined RATT.

The album closer “By My Side” echoes Guns N’Roses with Frank singing like Axl, snarling out a love song which seems a lot more sinister than it is maybe intended!

All in all, the record really did help my commuting and is best sampled in the dark, without playing chicken! Loved it…Get some Bees today.

BUY: Eye In The Sky