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EP REVIEW- KINSTRIFE- INTERVENTION




Words by Anselm Anderson

Hereford - based hard rockers' Kinstrife, named after a civil war in The Lord Of the Rings,
is a four-piece collective content on merging the border between classic rock and contemporary metal. The quintet now unleashes their debut EP Intervention, on priming ears fro the first time on July 31st via Forge AMP. The label has a knack for discovering talented unsigned artists, and Kinstrife is no exception to the rule. The ensemble's penchant for personal lyrics, combined with massive choruses and strong songwriting share similarities with bands like Shinedown and Inglorious. The group formed in 2003 by Lead guitarist Alan Kaye and Bassist Dave Richards,
The duo was promptly joined by vocalist Mike Hoskins and drummer Simon Richards.

2020 seems to be a critical breakthrough for them with extensive international airplay and interviews including crucial exposure to their increasing popularity. The four-song EP combines 80's ballads with aggressive modern rock to introduce new listeners to emerging talent.

 Intervention serves as a timely reminder that you can write songs with plenty of riffs and meaningful lyrics. The opening riff is thick with distortion and rattles those earlobes to segue into Hoskin's commanding vocals. The song soon whips up a frenzy with a dual guitar combination of wah wah madness and a hazy solo this provides a suitable track to commence proceedings.

Fear is an enchanting ballad I believe could be about lost love. Once again, Hoskins' rich and powerful tone is accompanied by harmonic instrumentation that is a heart-rendering piece. The vocalist sounds in deep reflection, as another dual-guitar solo ends this track like a touching farewell.

Unconditional remains the lengthiest song on here, clocking over 6 minutes. This is an 80's style ballad, which opens with a string of pinch harmonics to feel more personal than the preceding tracks. The voice is more versatile and rich with emotion to express deep sorrow. The rhythm section also shows impressive skills and techniques to craft inspiring songs for the listener to relate with.

And Finally, Getaway returns to a full-throttle rocker that will blow your socks off. The song begins with groove- orientated riffs combined with thick breakdowns that hark back to 90's grunge bands like Pearl Jam.

Overall, Kinstrife serves an engaging and dynamic dish of cutting edge songs and crafted musicianship to keep all entertained for a short while at least.

Kinstrife, Intervention was released today (July 31st) via all good music platforms.

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Band Members;
Mike Hoskins- Vox, Rhythm Guitar
Alan Kaye- Lead Guitars
Dave Richards- Bass
Simon Richards- Drums


Click on the player below to listen to the EP;



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