Trippy Prog Metal
Prog metal is an odd kind of genre, with an album title like 'Ogre Tones' you're expected a mass of guitar-wieddling metal, which is dutifully provided, but in addition to some very harmonious and psychedelic vocals right from the first track. I imagine it's rather like taking acid at a Motorhead concert; you're expecting the generic metal tracks and suddenly they're all other the place in a crazy fusion of styles. 'Alone' also happens to be the band's next single and it certainly has a unique enough feel in the pulsating chorus of discordant vocals.
'Stay' sports a markedly relaxed guitar styling that's more groovy than thrashing; Kings X are certainly unparalleled in the present music market with this classic rock feel combined with melodic tunes. 'Hurricane' is a deeply poetic affair full of breezy (forgive the pun) riffs and trippy vocals that are slightly reminiscent of Pink Floyd in tone.
'Fly' takes the soulful edge of the vocals to another place, a world of ballsy 70s vibes where the rhythm section kicks up sparks with its powerful hooks and licks before the chorus expands into a mellow, soaring affair that would leave most of today's metal bands trembling. 'If' features a teasing guitar solo that reminds you of the band's supreme mastery of their instruments, but leaves you wanting more, while 'Bebop' introduces some real theatrics in its jerky guitar part and screaming vocals. It's got a catchy, almost syncopated rhythm that gets in your bones, before the big chorus really rocks you with its wicked sense of soul.
'Honesty' shows a more vulnerable underbelly, with gentle vocals and softly-strummed guitars, it's a refreshing little breather that shows the band's versatility, as well as being a finely crafted song. 'Open My Eyes' thrashes about with pure heavy metal menace, but it continues to have a very defined melody, which really strengthens the whole tune. 'Freedom' rides along on heavy guitar riffs over which the buoyant vocal melody seems to skip and skim like a surfer on a malevolent tide.
If you're a hard metal fan there are plenty of tracks you may view as 'weaker' because they find their power in cohesive melody rather than raging tunes, for example the 7 minute leviathan of psychedelic moaning guitar and reflective sound, 'Sooner or Later', but there are also a lot of impressive, brooding metal tracks. As Kings X's first new material in 4 years, this record is bound to excite fans and it could also teach plenty of today's bands a little about originality and producing fine music. Their style is somewhere between the trippy heights of Pink Floyd, the breezy mellow feel of Lynrd Skynrd and the thrashing metal of classic groups like Black Sabbath- strange but very effective.