siLLy puPPy One of the lesser known Bay Area metal bands to emerge out of the 80s, LÄÄZ ROCKIT formed in Berkeley in 1982 by the teenage duo of vocalist Michael Coons and guitarist Aaron Jellum who had become smitten with the developing heavy metal trends emerging. The two quickly recruited a second guitarist in the form of Phil Kettner along with drummer Victor Angelo but it would take another year to find the right bassist which finally filled the band once Willy Lange joined the band.

LÄÄZ ROCKIT quickly released the “Prelude to Death” demo which caught the attention of Target Records and in 1984 released this debut album CITY’S GONNA BURN which featured eight punchy period speed metal tracks that found the band in the same camp as bands like Metal Church, early Overkill and Running Wild. At this point mmLÄÄZ ROCKIT didn’t conquer the world with its by the books speed metal but the band would soon play with many of the much more successful bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Exodus, Ratt, W.A.S.P. and many others.

CITY’S GONNA BURN is a fairly typical release from the mid-80s with thundering heavy metal twin guitar attacks, bantering bass and drum rhythmic bombast and those classic 80s vocal styles which in the case of Michael Coons alternates between a grittier proto-thrash style that would prognosticate the band’s later direction along with the lean and mean more operatic style of US power metal bands like Queensryche. The compositions are direct and to the point with no time wasted with intros or other bells and whistles. This is heavy metal thunder with no messing around.

The album is actually quite short and just misses the 30 minute mark but the tracks are all well constructed with instantly accessible melodic hooks and fiery performances with the biggest drawback resulting from the rather by the books approach which feels like the tracks could have used a bit more variety. The album is notorious for its awful production and for the original release that is quite true however the album was remastered and reissued in 2007 on the OSM which improved the production quality.

LÄÄZ ROCKIT was always one of those bands playing keep up with the big boyz and never really set the world on fire itself but in retrospect, this band was excellent at what it did even if originality wasn’t its strong point. CITY’S GONNA BURN is one of those albums that would’ve probably been buried beneath the more successful bands to emerge during this period but this debut is actually a decent slice of early speed metal with all those scrumptious classic 80s attributes without sounding like a derivative of any ban in particular. Coon’s excellent control of his vocal style prevents this from becoming cheesy and the musicians all deliver excellent performances. A very good if not downright spectacular speed metal album from metal’s early years.

UMUR "City's Gonna Burn" is the debut full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based thrash/heavy metal act Lääz Rockit. The album was released through Target Entertainment in 1984. Lääz Rockit was formed in 1982 and while they are not often mentioned when speaking of the most prolific Bay Area thrash metal acts of the 80s, they were a big part of the development of that scene.

Just like the case are on many other early 80s albums by US thrash metal artists (I could mention early releases by Anthrax and Overkill among others), "City's Gonna Burn" really isn´t that thrashy. The music on the album is instead an attitude filled type of heavy metal with the occasional more speed metal oriented outburst. The tracks are relatively short, to the point and very catchy with anthemic choruses that you can sing along to. Lead vocalist Michael Coons is a great asset to the band´s sound. He has a raw delivery but is also able to sing more clean notes and his performance here is both passionate and convincing. The riffs are memorable (but nothing too much out of the ordinary for the style), the guitar solos well played, and the rhythm section solid.

"City's Gonna Burn" also features an organic, and for the time, very well sounding and powerful sound production. Lääz Rockit actually have a lot of great things going for them on this album and had their material been slightly more original sounding, "City's Gonna Burn" could have been a killer thrash/heavy metal album. As it is there are quite a few other albums in this style I´d pick up before this one, but isolated seen it´s a great listen and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Stephen Considered as one of the founding father of Bay Area thrash metal, Laaz Rockit unleashed their debut, "City's Gonna Burn", in 1984, with a breakthrough breed of traditional heavy metal with a furious riffs pattern and fast-paced drumming that later influenced the big process of power and thrash metal creation. The strong point of this album is the introduction of Michael Coons powerful and distinctive vocal as well as some killer solos provided by Jellum/Kettner.

Excellent tracks inside are "Take No Prisoners", a real example of early genuine thrash with an incredible solos; "Forced To Fight" with a dynamic tempo; and "Prelude" that started slow before exploding to an uptempo track with another slaughtering solos. However, this album also experimenting with some heavy metal tracks such as the title track, "Caught In The Act", and "Something More" and even though they aren't bad, it's not very good either, probably generic and mediocre at best.

"City's Gonna Burn" is an inspiring album but the band is still looking for their true identity here. The sound and style is raw, indicating an evolution in progress. Another low point is this album is far too short for a full-length release and with only 3 outstanding tracks, I don't think this album worth more than 3 stars, but it's always nice to know and listen to the early history of an influential band.