JEET KUNE DO – First Strike

Jeet Kune Do are a Swedish hard rock band that were founded in 2021; they started out as a cover band before taking the leap of writing their own material. Their influences include Kiss, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, and Deep Purple, etc. Why did they decide to name themselves after a hybrid martial arts philosophy made famous by Bruce Lee? Not sure, but at least it’s distinct and something people wouldn’t expect from a Swedish band. Jeet Kune Do’s debut studio album, First Strike (2025), will be released on October 24, 2025 through King2Music Records.

Not a Bad Debut Album At All

The album kicks off with “I Am Your Doctor,” which, not going to lie, upon first listen, lead vocalist and bassist Uffe Andersson sounds like a mix between Whitesnake’s David Coverdale and Animal from The Muppets. He’s got that European flair, obviously, but he also has the wild and uncontrollable persona of an “animal.” It should be noted, however, that Andersson definitely has the swagger and attitude of Coverdale, and that’s very important when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll. Thank goodness because let’s be real, Animal does not have swagger. The lyrics are silly, which the band does not hold back on their sexual innuendo, something that Coverdale would be very proud of. The dirty guitar tone gives the song, actually the whole album, an old-school, classic rock feel.

The backing vocals for songs like “Fly Away,” “U Got It,” and “No Halo” add a melodic aspect to the band’s sound. “U Got It” and “No Halo” are similar musically, both of them being midtempo rockers with a memorable hook and a catchy chorus. The latter is the better one of the two because the lyrics are really clever. “Moves Like a Cat” is filled with more lovely sexual innuendo and it unknowingly references The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.” Sounds like it’ll be a popular one to play live. There aren’t a lot of interesting things to say about these songs, other than them being classic, old-school, meat and potatoes, rock ‘n’ roll.

Final Assessment

The production is perfect; not too slick and not too raw. The instrumentation is incredible; the bass lines are fat and juicy, the guitar work is dirty and sleazy, the drumming isn’t too busy, and as mentioned before, the lead vocals have an exotic flair that gives off David Coverdale meets Animal from The Muppets. The album length is perfect too, being 30-40 minutes. As for the negatives, “Strange Addiction” has a good beat, but it drags on and on, and the chorus doesn’t do anything really. “Highway 45” starts off promising as a fun, “driving down an open road” song, but there’s nothing special about the chorus. Those are minor complaints, of course, because the majority of the album is a fun listen. First Strike is only the band’s first album, so they’ll have plenty of time to develop their songwriting and musicianship throughout their rock ‘n’ roll journey. For those who are interested, give Jeet Kune Do’s First Strike a listen!

Album Tracklist

1. I Am Your Doctor
2. Strange Addiction
3. Fly Away
4. Down Down
5. U Got It
6. Highway 45
7. Holy Mary
8. No Halo
9. Moves Like a Cat

Band Lineup

Uffe Andersson – bass guitar and lead vocals
Marko Kallunki – drums
Jerker Nilsson – guitars and backing vocals
Tommy Svensson – guitars and backing vocals

Check out the lyric video for “No Halo” from Jeet Kune Do’s First Strike!