Information/Write-up
Rock the World is the third studio album by Canadian heavy metal band, Kick Axe. The album was released in December 1986 in vinyl and cassette formats on Epic Records, distributed through CBS in the band's native Canada.
In 1987, Roadrunner Records released the album on vinyl in the Netherlands, and the smaller label Mercenary Records issued it on vinyl, cassette, and compact disc in the USA later the same year. That CD became a sought-after collectible, fetching prices over $150 on eBay.
In 2005, the band remastered and reissued the album on CD (with different cover artwork) on their own label. This edition included the bonus track "Piece of the Rock", a leftover from the Vices recording sessions in early 1984.
In 2016, UK label Rock Candy Records remastered and reissued the album on CD in a "De Luxe" version comprising a comprehensive booklet loaded with vintage photos and a detailed band history by Malcolm Dome.
Recorded and mixed at Inside Trak Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and produced at Emil's Studio, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, by Kick Axe's guitarist Larry Gillstrom on a very limited budget. Similar to the Welcome to the Club album, Rock the World includes one cover track, "The Chain", originally by Fleetwood Mac. The album combines the rawness of the debut with the commercial touch of their follow-up but leans harder and doesn't capture the same accessibility as its predecessors. It is considered the weakest of the band's 1980s-era albums.
This album did not chart on the Billboard 200 album chart.
-Robert Williston
George Criston: lead vocals
Larry Gillstrom: guitars, vocals
Victor Langen: bass, symphonic fuzz bass, keyboards
Brian Gillstrom: drums, percussion
Produced by Larry Gillstrom
Recorded and mixed by Dave Slagter at Inside Trak Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia
Engineering assisted by Gary Tole and Lisa Barton
Cover artwork by Sandy Flett
Sleeve design by Mystique Studios
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