Once Is Not Enough

Hey Zoo Freaks, it's the Zoo Crew dialing up that maple-syrup sleaze here at THE ZOO with "Once Is Not Enough" by Von Groove off their self-titled debut—boy howdy, doesn't it just rev your engine like a back-alley rendezvous that leaves you craving seconds, all those midnight pleas and overheated hooks that scream 'one round ain't gonna cut it'? Diggin' through those faded fanzine folds, bassist Matthew Gerrard let slip in a Hard Rock Heaven yarn how the track was one of those basement-born barn-burners from their early '90s tapes, sparked when the lads were knee-deep in demos that caught A&M's ear without a single tweak. "It was all about that insatiable spark, the kind that keeps you up chasing the high," Gerrard chuckled, admitting the chorus riff—courtesy of Croatian axe-slinger Mladen—hit like a double-shot espresso, turning a simple seduction tale into a radio-ready roar that fans still swear by. Over on X, @SukursalRock blasted the official audio last fall, calling it "magic" that outshines the grunge gloom, racking reposts from punters hollering it's the cure for any blue Monday, while @3594Vin kicked off mornings with it this spring, dubbing it the eye-opener anthem for melodic metal mornings worldwide.

And get this from the social scrolls, a Reddit r/hairmetal thread lit up late last year with folks geeking over its placement as the album's opener, one devotee posting how it hooks harder than a fisherman's line, tying it to those epic choruses that echo Damn Yankees but with a Canuck twist all their own. In an Amazon reviewer confessional from the reissue faithful, a fan raved it's the standout alongside "Better Than Ever," confessing it yanked 'em back to '92 drives down lonely highways, windows down and volume cranked, dreaming of what-ifs in every verse. X keeps the fire cracklin' too; @ColdasBryyyce joked earlier this year how the moaning opener's pure teenage bait but packs more punch than Valentine's over-the-top howls, sparking nods from hair metal heads who hail it as the unsung seduction blueprint, and @NatesHiddenGems slipped it into their "Hair Metal Hidden Gems" playlist update last month, pairing it with Savatage scorchers for that timeless thrill ride. Even in those Ultimate Guitar forums, strummers swap tabs and tales of nailing the solo live, swearing it's the track that turned casual listeners into card-carrying devotees—timeless as a stolen kiss, freaks, proving some cravings never fade.

Now, let's rewind the tape on these Toronto trailblazers, 'cause Von Groove's genesis is a proper garage-to-glory gospel that'll have you toasting with your next tallboy to the underdogs who almost conquered the charts. Picture Canadian vocal powerhouse and sticksman Michael Shotten linking arms with bass whiz Matthew Gerrard—that dynamic duo who'd already penned fire for Triumph—holing up in Gerrard's basement studio in the misty dawn of the early '90s, hashing out hooks with Croatian guitar tornado Mladen to forge a sound that blended Bad English polish with Bon Jovi bite. It wasn't till they roped in drummer Tommy Lewis on the low end that the beast breathed, birthing demos so scorching A&M snapped 'em up sight unseen, unleashing the self-titled slab in '92 without batting an eye. Fresh from Gerrard's high school fusion flings and tours with Kim Mitchell vets, these lads dodged the hair metal hangover just long enough to drop a melodic monster packed with riff rockets and ballad whispers, proving a Toronto twosome could thunder like arena kings if the gods'd only grinned a bit wider.

Keep that Von Groove vibe vibrating in the ether, you riff rangers—their official word on the street's that lively Facebook page, slinging updates on the fresh Frontiers reunion ink and clips that'll have you air-drumming all night. No standalone website yet, but the 'book's your backstage pass to gig whispers and throwback thunder. Scroll over to Instagram for those glossy snaps of the classic trio—Shotten, Gerrard, Mladen—dripping with that '90s swagger, and peek at their old @vongrooveband on X for archived blasts (though it's quieter these days). For the lore hounds, Discogs at discogs.com/artist/1174799-Von-Groove unpacks the full platter parade, while Spirit of Metal's hub at spirit-of-metal.com/en/band/Von_Groove brims with lineup lowdown and fan fervor. Facebook's the fan fellowship too: the main page as ground zero, with echoes in broader melodic rock dens where devotees swap bootlegs and "what if" dreams. It's a tight tribe out yonder, freaks, all harmony and hustle—stay locked in, the amp's just warming up.