Short Reviews [King's X - 2008 - "XV"]

KING’S X, from the States, is one of the bands active today that can be spoken of in terms of "Living Legends", having been around for more than 20 years now. They are also one of the very few bands that have been completely stable in terms of members - the same musicians in the band now as when they released their debut album 20 years ago. King's X have developed a distinct sound, or rather they've had that sound all along but have developed it a bit further. When the band started out, influences from bands like The Beatles were prominent, especially in the use of harmony vocals. Their compositions often had a slight psychedelic feel to them; this mainly came across in the guitar work. Over the years this has changed quite a bit though. The vocal harmonies are still present, but the musicians performing them have gotten a bit older, and thus this aspect of the vocal performance is similar in style but not in sound. The slight psychedelic leanings aren't a part of the sound on a regular basis at all, but have been by other impulses. Now in 2008 King's X comes across as a contemporary hard rock band, with some slight leanings towards older music. Melodic but slightly gritty and dirty guitar riffs and a distinct bass line, sometimes used in a highly distorted manner, are the main assets of the songs where the band rocks out. On the mellower tunes acoustic guitar and slick, dampened guitar riffs tend to dominate more. Slight leanings towards alternative rock as well as funk can be heard on a few tracks, and when Pinnick handles the vocals the songs gain a tinge reminding one of gospel at times, and even soul. But first and foremost this is a hard rock album, with short and concise songs, lots of grooves and most of the time strong chorus-parts. It's an enjoyable release: Longtime fans in particular will be pleased with this one, and anyone that hasn't sampled this band's output previously will find this CD to be a good place to start.

OMB: November 21, 2008