King Kobra

A hard rock group founded in 1983 by legendary kit man <a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Carmine Appice</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:0vIMq3W8V63uR4Ymgm2pF1">Vanilla Fudge</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7IzaAmbUsyOJsAIhZGUKR1">Blue Murder</a>), King Kobra issued three LPs in the mid- to late '80s that ran the gamut from heavy metal to AOR. They disbanded in 1989 but reconvened in 2010 with a retooled lineup and issued two full-length albums, King Kobra and King Kobra II, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Frontiers+Records%22">Frontiers Records</a>. The group ceased operations again in 2013 but re-formed for a series of live dates in 2016, culminating in the release of the studio album, We Are Warriors, in 2023.

<a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Appice</a> formed the group after leaving <a href="spotify:artist:6ZLTlhejhndI4Rh53vYhrY">Ozzy Osbourne</a>'s band, enlisting help from vocalist Mark Free, guitarists David Michael-Phillips and Mick Sweda, and bassist Johnny Rod. Employing an infectious mix of hooks and guitar pyrotechnics, the newly minted quintet issued their debut album, Ready to Strike, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a> in 1985. A sophomore outing, Thrill of a Lifetime, arrived the following year and featured the hit "Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)," which served as the theme song for the military action film Iron Eagle. The band, which now included <a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Appice</a>, vocalist Johnny Edwards, guitarists Phillips and Jeff Northrup, and bassist Larry Hart, went the independent route for album number three, the aptly named King Kobra III, releasing it in 1988 on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22New+Renaissance%22">New Renaissance</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Appice</a> decided to put the group out to pasture the following year and join guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:3ZZT5Z4TDnzZWq9SiYHS4P">John Sykes</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:6biWAmrHyiMkX49LkycGqQ">Thin Lizzy</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1MZ8NERIuOS610KBhr6yna">Tygers of Pan Tang</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3UbyYnvNIT5DFXU4WgiGpP">Whitesnake</a>) in his new project <a href="spotify:artist:7IzaAmbUsyOJsAIhZGUKR1">Blue Murder</a>.

In 2010, <a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Appice</a> brought the classic lineup of Mick Sweda, David Michael-Philips, and Johnny Rod back together, adding new vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:2kzqD9K5B3MRbVB1YW0qTr">Paul Shortino</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:0PtXc1FFcAOKZjp5TXuH9c">Rough Cutt</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1dLWg6m8RRhizsdqJbhyj3">Quiet Riot</a>). They began recording a new album, and the resulting eponymous King Kobra was released the following year on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Frontiers+Records%22">Frontiers Records</a>. King Kobra II arrived in 2013 with the same lineup, but the group called it quits shortly after its release, citing its members' myriad commitments as the reason. The band, minus Mick Sweda, re-formed in 2016 for a handful of live dates. <a href="spotify:artist:0kjCvirhAHq3JMex6bqEBZ">Appice</a> put together a new lineup consisting of longtime bassist Johnny Rod, vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:2kzqD9K5B3MRbVB1YW0qTr">Paul Shortino</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1dLWg6m8RRhizsdqJbhyj3">Quiet Riot</a> guitarist Carlos Cavazo, and former <a href="spotify:artist:4CYeVo5iZbtYGBN4Isc3n6">Dio</a> member Rowan Robertson ahead of the release of 2023's We Are Warriors. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi