Formed in the biker hotspot of San Bernadino, east of Los Angeles, Alkana centred on the voice and lyrics of Jack Rucker (who would also become known by the nickname Damien King I, the lead singer for the heavy metal band Warlord), the guitar pyrotechnics of Danny Alkana, who drew heavily from the style of Boston’s Tom Scholz and Deep Purple’s Richie Blackmore, bassist Craig Williams and drummer Donny McLaughlin keeping the rhythms fast and furious.
‘California Rock n Roll Queen’ and psych epic ‘The Tower’ have the kind of Golden State rock majesty of Van Halen or Journey, and there are shades of Granmax, Asia and Judas Priest too. Hard rock? 70s metal; Epic; Progressive? Innovative? Paleolithic? Nostalgic? All of these together? Yes, but one more thing: Good music as a whole. At least the outrageous prices for which vinyl (originally issued on the Baby Bird label in 1978), was changing hands were commensurate with the quality of its content. this is a long lost hard rock gem.
Tracks
1. California Rock 'n' Roll Queen - 5:44
2. Montezuma's Sweet Revenge - 3:17
3. On Our Own - 6:30
4. Freedom Lady - 4:45
5. Paradise (Graig Williams, Jack Rucker) - 5:29
6. The Tower - 11:22
7. Head Games - 3:31
All songs by Danney Alkana, Jack Rucker except track #5
Alkana
*Graig Williams - Bass, Vocals
*Donny McLaughlin - Drums, Vocals
*Jack Rucker - Lead Vocals, Piano, Guitar
*Danney Alkana - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar