Indiana-Based King Bee and The Stingers have unleashed the upbeat blues number 'Contrary To The Word' The band of six veterans formed in 2006 to deliver their own distinct interpretation of Blues, R'n'B and Funk tunes.
The band are fronted by the rich vocals of Sarah Menefee, whose bright and infectious personality adds to the song's appeal. The squeal of harmonica and uptown bass opens 'Contrary To The Word' like an enjoyable track the listener can swing their hips to. Menefee's strong vocals build over shuffle blues and foot-tapping rhythms to tie up with a tasty solo.
The band are currently in the studio working on 'Don't Move So Fast', their follow-up to their 2019 debut 'Meet Me in Memphis'.
River Knight returns with new single 'Unsprung', following a two-year absence. The duo continue to deliver the poignancy expressed on their 2021 Grow album.
The song begins with a slight resemblance to Aha over a simple strumming pattern. The subtle string arrangements and harmonising voices add depth and intrigue to the message about relationships. The poetic lyrics interweave with spellbinding melodies to create a pleasant song for the listener. For those new to the blog, River Knight was formed by Darren Knight and Stone River in 2017. They have appeared at several festivals and released an album called 'Grow'. You can find a link to the review below.
North Wales' talented four-piece Zebedy released Waiting For the Tide a few weeks ago now. The typical angst-driven, anthemic rock heard in bands like Biffy Clyro and Fightstar at a time when these bands were attempting to create something new. This role has now fallen upon these four young men to continue this trend.
Zebedy has taken two years to make this 11-track LP, produced by Dan Weller. In the meantime, they have steadily climbed up the steps in the rock world with notable support slots to established acts like SOiL, Deadly Letter Circus and INme. This energy and ambition come across in Waiting For the Tide with its progressive elements and aggressive riffs. The dark, instrumental intro 'Well Being' sets things ablaze before the ambitious and melodic 'Building Sandcastles' draws the listener in.
The sheer awe and splendour of the music continue with the anthemic 'This City Is Ours'. The heavy, rising riffs and cascading melodies create a sense of uniqueness about what Zebedy do. In addition, this style of songwriting craft really appeals to the listener with each track unafraid to try new ideas out. The band's use of the pull and release tension in the music sounds like a constant battle between the singer and their music. The jagged melodies and skull-rattling riffs on ' My Name is Forever' is an example of this merger between raw, daunting emotions and driven music is an anthem for the burdened folk looking for something fresh to wake them up.
In contrast, this is not to say all things are perfect. There are times when the music sounds disjointed and disconnected. Other highlights you can find on this release are malicious and haunting 'Forget All That You Know', and the groove-driven instrumental piece 'Mask The Sky' with its complex time signatures and daring dual guitar play. And finally, the guile and rage of 'Set the Pace' and 'We Collide' complete this satisfactory outing for the Welshmen.
Overall, Zebedy carves its own path to success with an enthralling and enthusiastic progressive album that is sure to get people talking about them.
Rating 8/10. Words by Anselm Anderson
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ZEBEDY are Jonny Harding-Smith - Vocals and Guitar; David Harding-Smith – Bass and Vocals; Ben Chamberlain – Guitar, Synth and Vocals; Tom Dyson – Drums and Vocals.
Welsh metal act King Kraken announce their arrival with the monstrous release of MCLXXX, The year the Kraken was first spotted, comes a debut LP inspired by Horror and Sci-Fi movies. Produced by renowned music producer Romesh Dodangoda and mixed, mastered and recorded at Long Wave Studios in Cardiff, Wales. King Kraken releases ten tracks of lung-busting vocals, groove-orientated riffs, and scary lyrics to send out a solid statement of intent.
'Devil's Night' starts the album off like the illegitimate child of Clutch and Black Stone Cherry. The track's muscular, groove-orientated riff strikes the listener under the belt. The powerful vocals are set against the backdrop of eerie breakdowns, and terrifying drum patterns to show the band is serious.
Next up is the explicit 'Bastard Liar', a palpable and frenetic track full of aggression and sonic guitar leads that will leave your hair standing on edge. The band's eye-watering guitar solos and the choice of subject are the right formulae to create headbanger after headbanger. The band can also write catchy choruses with some stellar guitar work as heard on 'Green Terror' The riffs are fresh and daring as each track gains momentum throughout this LP.
Nevertheless, The album continues its relentless task to get the listener to unleash their inner metal demon with straight-to-the-bone metal such as the Halloween tribute 'Haddonfield '78', the skull-rattling Frankenstein-inspired 'Man-Made Monster' and the dark, calculated grooves of 'Castle of Bone' completes an album difficult to find a bad track on it.
Overall, King Kraken may have released a monstrous debut album that is as rare today as the Kraken itself. The band are certainly a force of nature worth keeping an eye out for.
Words by Anselm Anderson: Rating 9/10
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King Kraken is:
Mark Donoghue - Vocals Peter Rose - Rhythm guitar / Backing vocals Adam Healey - Lead Guitar Karl Meyer - Bass Richard Lee Mears - Drums
