RSS Feed


KYNG
Burn The Serum

Razor & Tie (2014)
Rating: 6/10

Grrr! This is such a frustrating record. Kyng are, to put it bluntly, just another stoner band with elements of sun-blessed doom. In other words, it’s of that Black Sabbath slant but with heaps of Corrosion Of Conformity, Dirty Americans, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and goodness how many bands in-between.

It’s not bad, but it’s not brilliant; the Los Angeles-based band, whether intentionally or not, have crafted an album – their second – featuring 11 tracks which, for all of their groovy intentions just sound like too many other bands.

It’s a genre that just doesn’t grow on me, as some bands choose heavier, drawn out slabs of sombreness while others go for a more upbeat, slightly kaleidoscopic trudge. Either way, the genre rarely spawns anything remotely brilliant; while I don’t expect anything unique to crawl from these dusty streets, I just find it all so generic.

Sure, they are talented guys. Drummer Pepe Clarke is the beast of the trio, literally flattening his kit as he punches, prods and thuds the skins. Guitarist Eddie Veliz is competent, but his vocals are a no frills sort of stoned wail, vocals which slot nicely alongside the formulaic “retro” riffs and driving bass of Tony Castaneda. Once those songs pick up speed, however, you just feel like you’ve been here before, and many times.

The title track is fairly weighty, but derivative, while ‘Lost One’ has a touch of the cosmic yet is harmless, with its grunge trudge echoing classic Soundgarden as it rolls and heaves. ‘Electric Halo’ comes plundering into the fray with a buzzing riff and sturdy drum, but it’s just so predictable, inducing the memories of Corrosion Of Conformity via their America’s Volume Dealer platter (2000). In other words, it’s a basic stoner-by-numbers record of no real identity, and lacks the sheer class and songwriting skills of Corrosion Of Conformity or any of the bands mentioned.

I’m sure that any fan of contemporary “stoner” rock will find much to savour on this record – there are some half-decent numbers, mainly ‘Sewn Shut’, ‘Self Medicated Man’ and ‘The Ode’ – but if you’ve become used to the likes of, say, Clutch, Mastodon and middle of the road hard rock then you may grow tired of this rather quickly. Thankfully, the production does allow the grooves to sound rather huge; again, that’s what brings Soundgarden to mind, but the commercial edge to most of the tracks means that while this remains an instantly accessible record, it’s also one lacking surprises.

The first half of the album is far better than the second, but that’s possibly because it begins to drag. The closing ‘Paper Heart Rose’ is nonetheless a nice touch acoustically, and does allow Veliz’s vocals to breathe. Even so, those who have grown up with this sort of music for several decades will most certainly find this record common in its theme.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share