Band:	Freak Kitchen
Album:	Spanking Hour
Style:	Progressive hard rock
Release date:	1996
A review by:	Jeff

01. Walls Of Stupidity
02. Haw, Haw, Haw
03. Jerk
04. Taste My Fist
05. Burning Bridges
06. Inner Revolution
07. Lisa
08. Spanking Hour
09. Proud To Be Plastic
10. Dystopia
11. The Bitter Season

This time, this is different , this is the end of the "tries" and "musical tests" of the first album "Appetizer". Our favourite monsters-cookers are back and damn this is not same. I must admit it right now, yes, "Spanking Hour" is certainly one of my favourite album ever, and maybe my favourite one of the band. And the big difference is that in only two years, we have a real evolution in the musical composition and in the lyrics which are a lot more engaged. A lot of great catchy melodies and great riffs excellent lyrics with excellent musicians, all that in a cd Yeah that's the reality of "Spanking Hour" the 2nd release of the Swedish combo Freak Kitchen.

As I said before in this review, we can feel a real evolution in "Spanking Hour". First the music is a lot more powerful with again excellent guitar riffs but a lot more catchy [try to listen to "Jerk" or "Walls Of Stupidity" and you could understand] and the lyrics are also a bit more engaged. Text about stupidity in Stadiums, text against racism text against the world of the music etc. It can be funny but also serious, that's all the talent of Mr Eklundh who knows how to play with words without any doubt.
"Spanking Hour" is varied with then theses catchy powerful Hard Rock tracks but we have also and this is an habit with Freak Kitchen some really nice ballads like "Lisa".
But THE difference is that this album is really more mature. More technical in the guitar game of Mattias, but also in the writing of the songs which are a lot more complex and well done. Really you'll see it when you'll pass from the first album to this one, you'll have the feeling that this album should be done 10 years later and not only 2 years after.
The production of this album is not the best one that we can see on the Freak Kitchen's albums [it will come later don't worry] but however this album don't suffer of any problems. Maybe the voice of Mattias is not again beautiful like the one that we know now. It's certainly the only problem for Spanking Hour because excepted that? I can't find anything wrong in it.

"Spanking Hour" is a masterpiece really and I recommend this album to all the guys who know and like the good music. Freak Kitchen this is not only music, this is only some messages and "Spanking Hour" is the perfect example to show us that theses guys are not only good to play fucking Rock "n" Roll but also to say something clever.
If you like this kind of music, "Spanking Hour" deserve to be in your top of your cd collection. A must have?