Like many bands who enjoy a sudden rise to prominence, King 810 have attracted more than their fair share of detractors on their way into the public eye. From accusations of glamorizing gun violence to being just another bunch of wannabees lifting their Neo Nu-Metal sound from acts like Slipknot and Korn, the band now have the opportunity to silence many of their critics with their second full length release, La Petite Mort or A Conversation With God (Roadrunner).
Heavy metal is my world, and has been for decades, but the word “heavy” itself can be used to describe other types of music as well. Sure, hearing Pantera play ‘Suicide Note Pt. II’ live was the heaviest thing my ears have ever heard, but I’m talking about the heavy music that hits your heart as well. For example, when you hear ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley, or Johnny Cash‘s cover of ‘Hurt,’ your whole soul feels like it has been taken over by the artist until the song ends. That’s the heavy I’m talking about, and last Friday Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released the heaviest record of 2016.Continue reading
It seems that being in one band just isn’t enough for some musicians these days. Especially within the European Power and Symphonic Metal scenes. Quite possibly two of the most (musically) incestuous genres of all, there seems to be an unwritten law that every band has to release an album featuring a bare minimum of one special guest, or contain at least two members who have performed, produced or written material for no fewer than three other bands. So it comes as no surprise to find that the first release from Phantasma, a collective effort from Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Georg Neuhauser (Serenity) and Oliver Philipps (Everon), contains performances from no less than six guest musicians. As enticing as that prospect may be to fans of the acts involved, it’s all too common for collaborations like this to end with mixed or disappointing results, and The Deviant Hearts (Napalm) is no exception.
Opening with a nice, but rather twee sounding duet from Wessels and Neuhauser, the piano played ‘Incomplete’ sounds like it would have been more at home at the end of the record rather than the beginning. Evergrey vocalist Tom Englund lends his voice to the powerful title track, and things continue in good form with ‘Runaway Gray’. Easily the best track on the album, it features a superb performance by Wessels, with more than a hint of James Bond theme song about the verses, and even a touch of Rush during the middle section.
Things take a hefty downward turn, however, with ‘Try’. A horribly overwrought ballad featuring Trans-Siberian Orchestra singer Chloe Lowery, who although clearly capable of belting out high notes with ease, seems unable to sing softly without her voice cracking on almost every line. ‘Enter Dreamscape’ is a substantial improvement on the previous track, but it’s still just standard fare which sounds like it could have been written for any band within the genre.
‘Miserable Me’ begins by slowing down and reworking the tune to ‘Money, Money, Money’ by Abba before plodding off to nowhere interesting. Duet ‘The Lotus and the Willow’ is an attempt at recreating the Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue classic ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ but falls miles short of the mark. An insipid and forgettable tune, the song only lifts off momentarily during its Top Gun-esque guitar solo. ‘Crimson Course’ is another nondescript song that sounds like it could have been written for anyone, and the only memorable thing about ‘Carry Me Home’ is the return of that Top Gun style guitar solo.
By now, everything has started to sound like music from movies and other bands, and ‘The Sound of Fear’ does nothing to change that by appearing to be several old songs at once. The upbeat ‘Novaturient’ rescues things a little until it tries to be Meat Loaf, and ‘Let It Die’ closes proceedings as best it can, but it’s essentially just another song with nothing more to offer than a reasonably strong chorus.
At its best, The Deviant Hearts is a good, listenable album with two or three memorable songs, a handful of strong choruses, and some excellent vocal performances by Wessels and Neuhauser. But for the most part, it’s just a collection of songs not strong enough to make it onto the albums of any of the bands involved.
5.5/10
GARY ALCOCK
Just like Wino, or fellow bandmate Scott Kelly, when taking time off from his day job, Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Steve Von Til likes to stray from metal and dabble in acoustic albums. A Life Unto Itself is Til’s fourth under his own name, following on from 2008’s A Grave is a Grim Horse [both Neurot Recordings]
Much like his previous solo outings, it’s an acoustic album of dark Americana; sometimes folky, sometimes straying into more country territory, but always fuelled by a slow burning melancholy. Accompanying Til’s gravelly baritone are slide and steel guitars, fiddles, piano, plus occasional synths, and the variety of styles and sounds on offer ensure that while the mood rarely lifts it remains a compelling listen throughout.
Whether it’s the haunting seven minutes of the title track, the eerie ‘Night of the Moon’ or the introspective ‘Birch Bark Box’, every track boats layers of subtlety, texture and emotion. Til’s poetic introspection moulds the best of latter day Johnny Cash and Nick Cave and feels very personal, and suit the leaden pace yet sombre atmosphere that Til’s music creates.
While musically Til’s solo material is worlds away from his work with Neurosis, it retains that same crushing feeling of oppression. A Life Unto Itself is a hard, tiring listen and not one for those wanting an acoustic experience to relax to [Wino’s outings with Conny Ochs are far more uplifting in comparison], but it’s a rewarding listen for those willing to revel in the misery.
7.5/10
DAN SWINHOE
Maybe it is due to having seen “the next big thing” come and go several times over with very few of the chosen ones having the ability, longevity or musicality to either make it or deserve it, but us metallers past our mid-teens (Ok, some way past!) are extremely suspicious about any band with even a whiff of hype about them. Roadrunner’s latest push King 810 have a whole perfume empire of propaganda behind their debut full-length Memoirs Of A Murderer. It is evident that King 810 are well on their way to becoming an established and successful name in the world of mainstream metal, but whether they deserve to succeed where others are by-passed is a whole other issue.
From the outset it is clear that the quartet, who have put Flint, Michigan well and truly on the metal map, have progressed immeasurably since 2012’s leaden and monotone EP Midwest Monsters (Independent). They have not only found their niche, a distinctive one flecked with violence and diversity, but vocalist David Gunn has found his voice with his already infamous tales of life in the poverty-striken, violence and bloodshed blocks of his home town. He says he is holding up a mirror to reflect his environment, an unwelcoming town of violence and murder, and in ‘Write About Us’, an interesting percussive poetry piece, explains the people he grew up with asked him to tell their story on the album.
Whether the urban myths of King 810 are truth, fabrication or exaggeration (probably a mixture of all three), and the Roadrunner push is “justified” or not, the band will, as most bands do, stand or fall on its songs. Image, controversy or mystique will only get you so far, and for so long, but mix those three elements, calculated or otherwise, with good songs and the doors to success open wide.
For the uninitiated, King 810 create dark, bruising nu-metal, sitting somewhere between Korn and Slipknot with a touch of American Headcharge and Hollywood Undead, creating big songs, backed up by fat guitars and slum-levelling hate-anthem choruses. Gunn’s vocals sit part way between narration and gravelled shouts, while the guitars, heavy, remain simple but weighty, like human carcasses hanging on meathooks, fattened by the excellent sonic work of producer Josh Schroeder.
It only takes a few listens for the tales of knives, guns, urban survival and murder to earworm their way in, and you can already see in the minds’ eye whole festival fields slamming and hollering to ‘Killem All’, moshing to ‘Best Night Of My Life’; a belting tune with an uptempo Hardcore vibe that strains against the leash, or pit-stomping and posturing to ‘Fat Around The Heart’, while ‘Desperate Lovers’ is pure catchy, down-tuned modern neck metal.
This isn’t a perfect album. It’s not as innovative as Korn (Immortal/Epic), it doesn’t have the songs or blow-you-the-fuck-away wildness of Slipknot (Roadrunner), has a few too many tracks (two spoken word pieces, the non-song ‘Carve My Name’ and the stock ‘War Outside’) and the running order isn’t right, as ‘Devil Don’t Cry’ is the highlight and natural showstopper yet appears two-thirds of the way through. Nor is this Neanderthal groove-metalling, more a metal Wu Tang Clan (with tip of the hat to @M1kecollins for the description) and these tracks slit the throat and pour concrete down the neck of ‘Big Truck’. This is a modern release based around a winning formula while embracing diversity. ‘Eyes’ is a delicate electronic-led track that wouldn’t be out of place on Marilyn Manson’s underrated Holy Wood (Nothing/Interscope), while ‘Devil Don’t Cry’ and ‘State of Nature’ are bare, exposed tunes stark with piano and strings leading their Dark Country take, as if Nick Cave was crooning a Johnny Cash tune. Elsewhere, the mix of thick, simple riffs and bellowed choruses works exceptionally well. These are street-anthems, made to be yelled back, whose simplicity and hooks work into the brain. Memoirs Of A Murderer is an album of quality controversial, mainstream metal.
8/10
STEVE TOVEY
The fourth album proper from Lux Interna sees them taking their sound away from the dark folk where they have deep roots and into more alternative rock territory. There Is Light In The Body, There Is Blood In The Sun (Pesanta) is still wantonly bleak but with the fuzz guitar on ‘Tongues’ and the intense overall grind there’s an undeniable feeling of Nick Cave in his Grinderman/Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds guise.Continue reading
In the often bloated and hype-filled league of supergroups, Tomahawk stand apart. There seems to be very little in the way of expectation, either from within the band or out. Combine this with frontman Mike Patton’s near continuous left-field release schedule means they are free to release their new record, Oddfellows, without the kind of pressure that surrounded the likes of Audioslave or Velvet Revolver.Continue reading