Killinger Make No Apologies for Their ’80s-Inspired Hard Rock

You might not be familiar with their name yet, but if you love '80s informed hard rock, Killinger won't let you down. The Canadian quartet deliver the kind of hook-heavy tunes that reveal a true love for groups such as Dokken and Warrant. This week Killinger released their self-titled debut album which was produced by Rick Plester [Michael Shenker] and mixed by none other than Mike Fraser, a name you'll recognize from his work with giants like Aerosmith and AC/DC.

Killinger frontman Dave Williams cut his teeth playing in Ratt Poison, a popular '80s tribute band in Canada. "One of the things that people really liked about my cover band stuff is that I always did my best to sound like the original singers," says Williams during a chat with Noisecreep. "We covered everything from Autograph to Van Halen. If it was a cool band from that era, we did it. It was a great way for me to keep my chops up and not get rusty. But playing original material with Killinger is what I'd rather be doing on a full time basis," laughs Williams-

The band's debut record features a guest solo from guitar great George Lynch. "Our producer had worked with George and he sent them a track of ours to see what he thought. He liked it a lot and laid down a killer solo and then emailed it back to us. I grew up on Dokken and having him on this album is a dream come true for us. We also had Pete Holmes play drums on the record. He used to be in Black n' Blue. We wanted him to join the band, but he lives in Los Angeles and it would have been too tough to do it logistically."

Watch 'Holding On' from Killinger

Although it's only Killinger's first full-length album, Williams is proud of the results. "You can definitely hear the three "S" bands all over the record. I'm talking about Scorpions, Stryper and Skid Row. But I would say that the most obvious thing to me about the songwriting is its European flair. I'm proud of the fact that we have a really mature batch of songs. It usually takes a band an album or two to get to that point. Look, we certainly have some tongue and cheek stuff on the record, but then there are some songs where it's like a punch to the face."

Williams then told Noisecreep he hopes that the Canadian hard rock scene wakes up a bit. "The kind of music Killinger plays is coming back to popularity all over the world, but here at home it's not happening. It's really frustrating. If Cinderella plays a show in a place like Los Angeles, people lose their minds. They could sell out huge clubs and theaters in some cities. But in Canada I wonder how many fans would actually come out -- maybe a couple of hundred? It's a sad thing. I hope Killinger can do its part to help change that here."

'Killinger' is out now via Sunmor Entertainment.

Check the band out on the following tour dates with Stryper:

SEPTEMBER

14 St. Petersburg, FL The State Theatre

15 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room

16 Lake Buena Vista, FLHouse Of Blues - Orlando

18 Chattanooga, TN Warehouse Venue

20 Baltimore, MD Bourbon Street Ballroom

24 Duluth, GA Wild Bills