by Tom Demalon
The hard-rocking band Haji's Kitchen was formed in Texas in 1993, and by the release of their debut two years later consisted of singer Eddie Ellis, guitarists Eddie Head and Brett Stine, bass player Derek Blakely, and drummer Rob Stankiewicz. The group earned some fairly favorable reviews and comparisons to popular acts of the time, like Pantera and Alice in Chains. By the time Haji's Kitchen began to ready their second release, entitled Suckerpunch, in early 2002, the band had been trimmed to a quartet, with singer Vince Mullins now fronting the band.