Reviews list for Axatak - Axatak (1985)

I would disagree with this opinion (Daniel) regarding AXATAK. This band, the only one standing out in the heavy-glam genre, best reflects the metal scene of 1981-86. This band is the only golden cousin of KISS, who were noticed for their original and classic rock playing (since 1984), as well as for their image; like KISS, they have numerous live concerts at Club Richmond and Ormand Hall. This author, Daniel, who spoke extremely negatively about AXATAK, apparently hasn't seen their live concerts, which (for the record) were recorded back in 1983, when AXATAK was still performing as KISS-CLONES. Most of the live concerts were recorded in 1984; for example, type in (Axatak - Club Richmond, concerts - 09.04.84, 05.03.84, 12.03.84 - three of my favorite concerts, which I've listened to many, many times). That's the first point. Now the second point - what album of (mythical) origin "SHOCK ROCK" from 1984 is Daniel talking about? There are so many myths and inventions circulating about this album that even one of the band members has personally written that such an album doesn't even exist. They have officially released "Sneak Attack" from 1984 and the original EP "Axatak" from 1985. Most of the tracks that unfortunately couldn't be included in the original albums, such tracks as - Demolution, Boys In Rockin Town, Get Me High, Lipstik And Leather, Living On A Stay, Now Are Watching In Your Name?, Slayer, Pandemonium, Half Bitch For Leather, Rockin Tonight, Hellraisers, Rock n Roll and covers of KISS tracks (Strutter, Duce) or the famous Queen song (We're Want Rock You) - all these tracks are PRESENTED in their Live-concert, which I mentioned, exactly in those three concerts (Axatak - Club Richmond, concerts - 09.04.84, 05.03.84, 12.03.84) and there can be no talk of any mythical album "SHOCK ROCK". So where is the evidence of its publication??? All Axatak Live-concerts are available on YouTube, type the name, listen and watch them. That's where you'll find most of the tracks unreleased on their albums. There's also a recently released live concert (Axatak Live In Melbourne 1985), which includes a couple more unreleased tracks (Instrumental, Destroyer, Darkness-Death). The author (Daniel) has little understanding of this band, comparing them not even to KISS fans, but to the worst versions of Mötley Crüe or even otherworldly, unrelated artists who are more aggressive than KISS themselves. AXATAK's sound is classic, veering toward classic heavy metal or heavy glam, with light but harsh (in the classical sense) rock undertones, but with a heavy glam attitude. Not a single little-known band, not even the Bengal Tigers, has as many live concerts as AXATAK. This band has been performing live concerts since 1983-1985. Listening to them is a pleasure. Now, a special mention of their EP "Axatak," which Daniel also more or less mentioned. He's not well-versed in Axatak's work and positions himself as a newcomer (an amateur, to his taste), but not a connoisseur of the band's genre. This is no longer an argument. Comparing them to bands that had no connection to Axatak (WASP, Boss, Bengal Tigers) and classifying connoisseurs and fans as those bands, not the founders of AXATAK, is the worst and most incorrect opinion about this band, as expressed by the author of a comment from July 16, 2026. This EP contains tracks (in my personal opinion) that introduce drive, a classic rock style, and lead to a reference to their fathers, KISS, but more metal than rock. The tracks "Shock Rock," "Let The Beast Run Wild," and "Live Out Your Dreams" are the best three tracks in their driving work (but I recommend exploring their work in more detail in their live concerts), which I referenced. As for the song "You" (from their EP), the author (Daniel) apparently didn't even look at the photos of their vinyl record and doesn't know that John Mallouch sang the vocals on this song PERSONALLY, without Andy Zouman. The lyrics on the vinyl record clearly indicate who sang on which song. As a connoisseur of their work, I can say that this band, across their entire discography, is suitable for both connoisseurs and fans of the metal scene and classic rock, capable of both charming and exciting, and you can have a pleasant time with them listening to their music.

Melbourne's Axatak are often referred to as a key player in the early Australian metal scene that was still just in its development stage during the early-to-mid 1980's. Their four-piece lineup got together some time between 1981 & 1983 before quickly becoming a mainstay of the local live scene. During their time together, Axatak produced one demo, one full-length release (i.e. 1984's "Shock Rock" which would appear to be a bootleg of some sort) & this five-song E.P. which I actually never explored until earlier this decade. Axatak wouldn't be around for too long though, disbanding in 1988 off the back of frontman Andy Zouman having become a born-again Christian & subsequently producing a film about the influence of Satan on rock music. 

Axatak are widely known for being heavily influenced by KISS. In fact, they started as a KISS cover band so it's no real surprise that their image involved makeup & theatricality. They could no doubt play a bit though, as can be seen from the performances on this E.P. which certainly has its moments. Guitarist's Pete Denero & John McCulloch know a thing or two about shreddy 1980's guitar solos & drummer Don Hailes keeps a tight rhythm throughout. The production job offers plenty of clarity but does tend to feel a little too separated with the high-end being a touch too prominent. It's the inconsistency of the song-writing that's the real issue here though as this is somewhat of a roller coaster ride in that regard. I quite like hard-rocking opener "Shock Rock" & the more metallic "Let the Beast Run Wild" (my personal favourite) but the remaining three songs all fail to hit the mark, particularly the God-awful power ballad "You" which reeks of Motley Crue at their worst. The vocals are patchy at times with the weakest points of the release generally matching up with the less successful vocal efforts.

Axatak's sound sits somewhere between the US glam metal that was booming at the time & the classic heavy metal that most of us know & love. You need to be a little patient if you go in searching for the metal side of that equation though as the first couple of tracks don't really present much in that respect with all of the genuine metal appearing during the middle & end of the release where you can expect to hear some aggressive bottom-string palm-muting & even a bit of tremolo-picking, reminding one of WASP more so than the band's idols KISS. I have to warn you that gang vocals are drawn upon quite regularly during the choruses which can be a deterrent for those with a weak stomach for the glammier side of Axatak's delivery, me included.

While this is certainly a better record than Kings Cross' dodgy "Gimme" E.P. from the previous year which traverses similar creative ground, I still wouldn't recommend "Axatak" as an early Australian metal release worth pursuing. It sounds more like a demo than it does a proper release as the songs deserve a glossier coat of paint, one which they likely would have received had the band resided in Los Angeles. I can easily understand how Axatak would have gone down really well in the Melbourne live scene of the time though as their sound & image would have translated very well to the stage. I'm just not terribly surprised that they didn't break out of the local live scene for wider success.

For fans of Bengal Tigers, Boss & WASP.