Chickenfoot

A band formed by accident, an explosion in the rock-music world

Chickenfoot – is a stunning eponymous album of the new stunning rock-band. Its line-up is impressive: vocalist Sammy Hagar (Van Halen’s ex front man), Van Halen’s ex-bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist-virtuoso Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith, drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, who joined Chickenfoot, while RHCP is on temporary vacation. In spite of the funny name Chickenfoot, the band have made an explosion in the rock-music world making a difference for every single fan of this music genre. And this is not surprising: every member of the band has a huge experience and has participated in a great variety of different projects. It seems that they all gathered to show everybody how the real rock-n-roll should sound like. Chickenfoot admits that the band would not have been formed if it were not for the mere accident. After leaving Van Halen, Hagar and Anthony have jammed together at Hagar’s club Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was there that they met Chad Smith, and after that the question arose, maybe, it was time for creating something really new? But one more member was needed to form a band, and that one turned out to be Joe Satriani, one of the most famous guitarists in the instrumental and rock-music world.

Chickenfoot album is a great example of the real rock-n-roll

Having formed the band, the guys started writing their first album. The album opener Avenida Revolution is a great example of that “real rock-n-roll” that was mentioned at the very beginning of the band’s formation. It starts with the electro-guitar’s growing crescendo, which introduces the drums’ powerful rhythm and even more powerful Hagar’s vocals. Avenida Revolution tells about the bloody drug wars in the Mexican Tijuana. It opens the record on purpose – here Chickenfoot immediately displays its immense rock-potential. Precisely it is Hagar’s voice transmitting the storm of emotions and creating a boiling energy on the whole album. The next track Soap On A Rope may be called a definite rock-hit conquering from the very first electro guitar chords and the first drum beats that are abundant here. The same may be said of the fabulous Sexy Little Thing and Oh Yeah, that “kick ass” as the band members themselves put it. These songs are really reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones times showing how skillful the work of the four real professionals may be. The song Runnin’Out with the philosophical lyrics opens with the pondering guitar fingering, followed by the drums with their strict rhythm. One of the most beautiful love ballads – Learning To Fall – enchants with its romanticism created by Hagar’s genius as a singer and songwriter. The record closes with Future In The Past that starts with a major guitar sol, drifting into an amazing rock-sound. It looks like this very sound may become Chickenfoot’s calling card.

Chickenfoot will become Led Zeppelin’s successors

Chickenfoot may definitely be called a “supergroup”, but not only because of the existing music term that denotes a rock-band whose members have already gained fame as the members of some other bands. These guys have a great creative potential and their statement that they should become Led Zeppelin’s successors cannot be unnoticed. After listening to the record it becomes clear that this is not just an unsubstantiated statement – Chickenfoot is absolutely positive about its professionalism and, hence, the music quality is beyond doubt. Together with the producer Andy Jones the band has done a great job. Jones (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Rod Stewart) has once again proved his great talent. Despite the fact that supergroups are usually formed as “side projects” and do not release more that one or two albums the energy and buoyancy Chickenfoot shares on its first album let us suppose that its creative path has just begun. Who knows, maybe it will actually remain in the history of the world rock great as Led Zeppelin was back in time. In any case, the band’s just made a great start.