Any band fronted by the sultry-piped Dave King, will get my attention. A magic voice, born from the Robert Plant school of hip-shaking vocal chords. Katmandu is King's venture after many years with Fastway, and it was this guy's fiery throat which got me into metal after the 'Trick Or Treat' soundtrack which turned my world upside down. Katmandu is less evil, naturally, but still ultra cool, 'The Way You Make Me Feel' is a sexual boogie strut, 'God Part II' shimmers and slithers across the floor and the next ten tracks follow a similar rip-roaring vein. Bluesy and pumped up guitars, plenty of electric soul, finger-snapping coolness.
'Heart & Soul' begins like pure Zep, and 'Only The Good Die Young' is more Zep for the mind...but this is too cool, too laid back and too real to be considered a poor mimic, instead Katmandu offer a suave and casual blend of slinky rock and blues-based meanderings. I just can't fault the guy's voice, a distinctive rasp which played such a huge part in my metal initiation. So, for me, Katmandu, like Fastway, have halo's perched on their heads.
8/10
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