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 "Left for Dead" is the 6th full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based thrash metal act Lääz Rockit. The album was released through Massacre Records in July 2008. Lääz Rockit disbanded in 1992 and didn´t reunite until 2005, so "Left for Dead" is the band´s first album release since "Nothing$ $acred" from 1991. There have been three lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Scott Sargent has been replaced by Phil Kettner, bassist Scott Dominguez has been replaced by Willy Lange, and drummer Dave Chavarri has been replaced by Sky Harris. The only remaining members are vocalist Michael Coons and guitarist Aaron Jellum.

17 years down the line Lääz Rockit sound unmistakably like they did in the late 80s and early 90s though. Very little has changed in all those years despite a long hiatus and mutible lineup changes. As the last couple of albums by the band were really strong thrash metal releases, that´s only a good thing. "Left for Dead" features a hard edged and powerful thrash metal style with both great heavy grooves and razor sharp riffs. Michael Coons sounds as commanding as ever and he generally delivers a strong vocal performance on the album. He probably should focus all his energy on his raw and aggressive vocals though, because the few times he sings a bit more melodic, he doesn´t sound that convincing.

"Left for Dead" opens really strong with "Brain Wash" and "Delirium Void", which literally blow the listener away. They are both incredibly potent thrash metal tracks performed with great passion and conviction, by a band who may be seasoned but show no signs of fatique. The rest of the album more or less continues the style of the first two tracks with a little variation here and there ("Desolate Oasis" for example features an acoustic guitar opening). If I have to make comparisons to other artists, I would mention contemporary releases by Exodus and Overkill. There´s the same kind of no nonsense energy, "Fuck You" attitude, and rawness behind the delivery.

The sound production is raw, loud, and powerful, and suits the music perfectly. Upon conclusion "Left for Dead" is a high quality release by Lääz Rockit and overall a great comeback album by the band. They´ve never been the most original sounding nor the most commercially successful act on the US thrash metal scene, but they do what they do with a burning passion and great professionalism, and therefore a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Taste of Rebellion" is a live album release by US, California based thrash metal act Lääz Rockit. The album was released through Pony Canyon Records in July 1992 and it was recorded on May 19th, 1992 at the Club Citta in Tokyo, Japan. Lääz Rockit would disband later in the same year and not reunite until 2005, so this was at the time the final statement of the band and the conclusion to their career. While they enjoyed relative success (they even got videos played on MTV´s Headbanger´s Ball), they never broke through on a commercial level which could sustain them into the thrash hostile 90s.

The show on this live release was recorded during their tour supporting "Nothing$ $acred (1991)", which was their latest album at the time, but they had four more studio albums under their belt in 1992 and therefore plenty of material to chose from. The setlist also reflects this, but it is mostly focused on material from the last two studio albums. There´s not a single track from "No Stranger to Danger (1985)" nor from "Know Your Enemy (1987)" featured on the album. "Prelude" and the title track from "City´s Gonna Burn (1984)" are the only "older" tracks which are included. The band have also opted to include the single only track "Leatherface". Personally I won´t complain as "Annihilation Principle (1989)" and "Nothing$ $acred (1991)" are to my ears the band´s strongest releases, but I can see fans of the early releases being a bit dissappointed about the setlist.

The performances are strong. Tight rhythmic playing, sharp riffing and blazing solos, and Michael Coons raw voice and strong delivery in front. The sound production is relatively well sounding too, and it sounds like we get an authentic picture of the performance and not one with little sound tweaks, overdubs, and edits. So "Taste of Rebellion" is overall a pretty strong live release by Lääz Rockit. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Nothing$ $acred" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based thrash metal act Lääz Rockit. The album was released through Roadracer Records in November 1991. It´s the successor to "Annihilation Principle" from 1989. There have been quite a few lineup changes since "Annihilation Principle (1989)" as guitarist Phil Kettner has been replaced by Scott Sargent, bassist Willy Lange has been replaced by Scott Dominguez, and drummer Victor Agnello has been replaced by Dave Chavarri. The only remaining members from the lineup who recorded "Annihilation Principle (1989)" are lead vocalist Michael Coons and guitarist Aaron Jellum.

Lineup changes or not "Nothing$ $acred" is another natural step for Lääz Rockit in the process of changing their style from heavy/speed metal, which they played on their early releases, to the more thrash metal oriented sound (though still with the occasional nod towards traditional heavy metal) on "Know Your Enemy (1987)" and "Annihilation Principle (1989)". On "Nothing$ $acred" I´d label Lääz Rockit 100% thrash metal though.

The 10 tracks on the 42:17 minutes long album are energetic, raw, and "in your face" thrashers, with powerful verses, catchy choruses and riot gang vocal sections, killer riffs and solos, and a really well playing rhythm section, who drives the music forward with great intensity and skill. The only track which is a bit different from the rest is the power ballad "Nobody´s Child". A song type Lääz Rockit also masters and delivers with great conviction. There are several standout tracks featured on the album, and I´ll mention "In the Name of the Father and the Gun", "Into the Asylum", and "Suicide City" among them.

The musicianship is of high class throughout the album and in addition to the skilled instrumental performances, lead vocalist Michael Coons also deserves a mention. He is gifted with a strong voice and his delivery is both passionate and convincing. If I have to make comparisons to another vocalist it would be to "Blitz" from Overkill. It´s not like they are clones or anything like that, but there are quite a few similarities in sound and delivery.

Taking all preceding Lääz Rockit releases into consideration and comparing them to "Nothing$ $acred", this album is by far their strongest yet. The sound production is raw and powerful, the musicianship is strong, and the songwriting is memorable. Especially the latter mentioned feature is an element where Lääz Rockit have taken a step up, and it´s not like the preceding releases didn´t feature high quality material, so that´s a quality stamp right there. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Prelude to Death" is a demo cassette tape by US, San Francisco, California based heavy/speed/thrash metal act Lääz Rockit. It´s an independent release, and it´s the first release by the band. Lääz Rockit were formed in 1982 and while they were an important part of the early Bay Area thrash metal scene, they never achieved any notable commercial success. They were skilled musicians, and pretty clever composers too though, so their artistic output is widely awknowledged to be of a good quality.

Already this early on it´s obvious that the guys in the band are very well playing and lead vocalist Michael Coons is a real treat to listen to. He has a pretty raw delivery, but still performs with a melodic sensibility and great understanding for catchy phrases.

"Prelude to Death" features 3 tracks and a full playing time of 13:30 minutes. The opening title track is a pretty aggressive and relatively fast-paced heavy/speed metal track, while "Black Leather" is a more traditional heavy metal track greatly influenced by Judas Priest. "Silent Scream" also falls into the more traditional heavy metal style but is slightly heavier than the track preceding it. Only "Silent Scream" and "Prelude to Death" (titled only "Prelude" on the album) would make it unto the band´s debut full-length studio album "City's Gonna Burn (1984)".

As mentioned above the band are very well playing/singing, and the demo also features a pretty well sounding production considering that it´s a heavy metal demo from 1983, so all in all "Prelude to Death" is a relatively strong start for Lääz Rockit, which also helped them land a recording deal with Target Entertainment for the release of "City's Gonna Burn (1984)". While it´s obvious the band still lacks a clear musical direction, their talents are indisputable and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.