Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. Today’s essay chronicles the tale of a band that would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve hit the big time, TKO. The year was 1984 and glam metal/pop metal/arena metal/whatever the hell you wanna call it was the flavor of the day. Bands like Quiet Riot, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Ratt, and Mötley Crüe were marrying headbanger friendly riffs with radio friendly hooks and an over the top stage show. So was TKO. Yet unlike all the bands mentioned, TKO never scored a platinum record, or a hit single, or even a high profile tour for that matter. They wallowed in obscurity, playing sporadic reunion shows over the years to a cult fanbase. This week, we attempt to tell the story of this band and the album that should’ve been their big break, In Your Face.
Despite being most associated with the 80s underground metal scene, the roots of TKO go back to the 70s, when vocalist Brad Sinsel formed the band under the moniker Mojo Hand. When that didn’t catch on, they changed their name to the shorter (and punchier) TKO. Under this rebranding, the band started making waves. They quickly drew a large following and became one of the biggest drawing live acts in Seattle. Now in this “golden age” of the music industry, any market that wasn’t L.A. was viewed as inferior. But if you rose to the top with such determination, there was no way they could ignore you. Think for example how Twisted Sister single handedly took over New York City in the heart of punk and disco.
Needless to say, hard work paid off for TKO and they scored a major label deal with Infinity Records, a subsidiary of MCA. This short lived label was all over the place, putting out releases from everyone ranging from soul crooner Dobie Gray to yuppie posterchild Rupert Holmes. On the rock side of things were acts like New England and Dixon House Band, the latter also from the pacific northwest, who alongside TKO played a blatantly pompous blend of AOR, hard rock, and metal. With the likes of Styx and Kansas dominating the charts, could you blame them?
TKO’s debut album, 1979’s Let It Roll, allegedly sold enough units that it went gold. I say allegedly because as soon as the party started, it ended. Before the band even had a chance to push sales further and hop on more premiere festivals and concert bills, Infinity went under. This left their roster floundering. Some signed to bigger and more reliable labels (New England). Others disbanded completely (Dixon House Band). TKO lie somewhere in the middle, without a recording contract, but armed with an arsenal of killer songs and a legion of devoted fans.
Fast forward 5 years later to 1984. An up and coming label that would become synonymous with 80s underground metal takes a chance on TKO, hoping to rekindle the flame that was lit in ’79. That label was Combat Records. Only much has changed since ’79. The likes of Styx and Kansas, who so shaped the sonic landscape of late 70s arena rock, are now yesterday’s news. Now it’s all about big hair, big riffs, big drums…hell, it’s go big or go home! TKO knew they had to go along for the ride, but managed to do so without losing their soul.
The result was their sophomore, and arguably finest album, In Your Face. I don’t wanna say this album was cursed from the get-go, but when your cover depicts your leather clad lead singer, fists clenched, standing above a woman in boxing shorts and gloves who is, pun fully intended, TKO’ed, it’s probably not gonna catch on outside of Tipper Gore’s parental awareness group. That said, this was the era of PMRC mania, so perhaps TKO felt they were capitalizing on it à la W.A.S.P.’s “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)”.
Ridiculous album art aside, the music that makes up In Your Face is, in my humble opinion, some of the finest of the era. Sure TKO didn’t have the musical virtuosity of Dokken, poppy sheen of Def Leppard, or pseudo-satanic edge of Mötley Crüe, but they had a streetwise attitude and balls of steel that guided their way. This is made evident from the album’s opening cut, “I Wanna Fight”. Boisterous, anthemic, and in keeping with the band’s aesthetic, had Quiet Riot dropped this song, it would’ve been a rock radio hit. The music is in your face, and Sinsel’s Rod Stewart meets Steven Tyler delivery is the icing on this heavy metal cake.
“Run Out of Town” follows very much in this mold as well. The beat is four on the floor, and the riffs pull no punches (a common theme). Some could even argue this was AC/DC inspired hard rock if the overall tone and atmosphere didn’t boast such metallic heft. It’s definitely metal for a rowdy Friday night on the town. The slightly more melodic “Give into the Night” showcases both the band’s songwriting abilities and Sinsel’s dynamic vocal range. If “I Wanna Fight” had rock radio potential, this had Top 40 radio potential.
“End of the Line” stands out as one of the album’s heavier cuts, with its ironclad riffing and full speed aggression akin to prime Priest. It’s raw, primal, headbanger gold, the perfect setup for a song that’s the complete opposite. “Working Girl” closes out side A in powerful fashion, towing the line between rough and ready hard rock and melodic pop metal. Much like “I Wanna Fight” and “Run Out of Time”, the chorus stands front and center, demanding your utmost attention.
The party continues as we turn over to side B. “All I Want to Do” is mega slab of sleaze that showcases Sinsel’s Eric Burdon-esque slower range. What can I say? The dude was an animal *ba dum tss*! “Don’t Give It Away” amps up things from hard rock to metal. It too is similar to Priest, but whereas “End of the Line” sounds like something off Screaming for Vengeance (1982), “Don’t Give It Away” is more in line with the commercialized fare of Point of Entry (1981).
The raw and passionate “I Can Do Without You” stands out from the rest of this album in every way possible. Boasting lush atmosphere and stellar vocals, it’s the obligatory power ballad that was industry standard for the time, but doesn’t come off as forced or inauthentic. If I were to do a “Top 10 80s Power Ballads You Never Heard”, it would definitely make the list. “So This is Rock ‘n’ Roll” capitalizes on the dumb, fun metal formula one last time, before the ferocious “Danger City” closes things out in grand fashion. This 5 minute rager represents everything brilliant about American metal pre-thrash, and always manages to get my blood pumping.
So whatever happened to TKO? Well despite their best efforts, In Your Face made little to know headway. Neither did their follow up, Below the Belt, which eventually led to their 1987 breakup. The problem is, while TKO’s signing served as Combat’s attempt to get their foot into the big leagues, this was a label that would become synonymous for acts like Mercyful Fate, Possessed, Megadeth, and Death, just to name a few. It didn’t matter how heavy TKO were. Anything commercially adjacent was not gonna fly.
Various TKO members went on to form Q5, while Sinsel went onto front War Babies. Much like TKO, both bands have strong cult followings, despite never hitting the big time. In the same breath, look at the bands of that era who did “make it”. Many are now bloated, washed out husks of what they used to be. Meanwhile, TKO plays the occasional reunion show, paying tribute to those 80s glory days and having a great time doing so. I should know. I saw them play the 2018 Legions of Metal festival and it was a blast. If they ever bring “Danger City” to your town, don’t miss it!