King Zebra – surely a name conjured up by a hard rock random moniker generator – feature sometime vocalist of Swiss hard rockers China Eric St. Michaels, and this neat little EP does indeed carry echoes of the singer’s former day job.

The Almighty, Kiss and The Cult (in hard rock vein, natch) are also names that will keep popping into your brain as the five tracks included on the EP wend their way between your ears, with the result being that KK have created an entirely unoriginal but highly entertaining seventeen minute slab of hair metal thrills and spills.

Like A Hurricane is probably the best of the five tracks, sounding a bit like something Gene Simmons might have come up with in the late eighties, whilst the superb title track is good enough to give modern-day hard rock heroes like Crazy Lixx a run for their money. St. Michaels has a pleasant voice, if lacking a little in the sort of grit that the best vocalists of this style possess, but he’s not going to spoil your enjoyment of the music every time he opens his word hole so why worry? The lead guitar work of Lauer is a highlight throughout the record as he brings to mind names like Matthias Jabs with his superb playing.

Well worth a listen then, especially if you enjoy music that’s low on brain power requirement but high on sheer enjoyability. Get some in yer!

King Zebra is out now.