Grand Funk Railroad « The RingMaster Review

What can we tell you about US outfit King Zero? Well very little actually apart from it is a quintet from Dallas which recently released the very appetising Sonic EP and offers a bluesy melody rich sound which has drawn comparisons to the likes of Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, Tom Petty, Eagles, and Black Oak Arkansas. Anything other than that we have yet to discover but quite honestly their latest release does all the talking for them whilst casting plenty of reasons why to give them continued attention.

Made up of four tracks which suggest a brewing broadness to their sound, the Sonic EP swiftly grabbed eager ears starting with opener Black Stoned Heart. Straight away the senses are wrapped in inviting sonic strains of guitar, a groove springing lure soon joined by an eager rhythmic swing. The potent tones of vocalist Paul Renna step into the growing blues fuelled enterprise soon after, his earnest croon aligning with the melodic craft of guitarists Dave Self and Chris Jackson. As further shown by the release in general, there is an open familiarity to the band’s sound and certainly they are not reinventing the sonic wheel but as the first track alone proves, King Zero is definitely giving it a new fresh lick of craft and imagination.

It is a great start to the EP quickly backed and eclipsed by In Your Eyes. Straight away spicy hooks are cast around ears, arousing a greedy appetite as they continue to nag and seduce as vocals and rhythms collude. A stoner-esque hue adds to the song’s magnetic character and holler, the swinging beats of Todd Hatchett inciting further captivation in league with the similarly alluring dark breath of Chris Ivey’s bass. Emerging as our favourite of the four through its rapacious grooving alone, the track highlights all the essences which are beginning to draw richer attention upon the band.

Into the Light follows with a calmer touch to its southern laced croon within a melodically flaming classic rock breath and though we cannot say that it grabbed us as richly and firmly as its companions, from vocals to melody, united to individual craft, the track more than pleased whilst adding another hue to the band’s colourful sound.

Final track, Fuel the Fire, needed little time to get under the skin in comparison, the time it took Ivey’s bass to move through its first rumbling riff enough to reel us in. The trap is soon firmly shut by grunge lined grooves which just spill temptation and a vocal prowess that lures; an attention demanding end to a release which commands the same depth of fixation.

Sonic is also an offering which blossoms further by the listen. Musically it is not particularly unique but everything about it is creatively magnetic and as fresh sounding as you could wish; as we intimated earlier they reasons enough to keep King Zero on the radar.

The Sonic EP is out now on Spotify and @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sonic-ep/1434199784

http://kingzeromusic.net/ https://www.facebook.com/kingzeromusic/ https://twitter.com/kingzeromusic

Pete RingMaster 16/10/2018

BRIT RIFF BEASTS RELEASE 1968 NEW EP!

Fuzzy riff lords ‘1968’ blast their way to the forefront of the UK scene with their blistering self-titled EP out on Friday 15th January, via Black Bow Records and available through all digital platforms.

Although approximately 17,000 moons have passed since 1968 drew to a close, in 2013, the year 1968 was resurrected in the form of a band—a band who craftily fed from select recordings made in that year, as well as pulling influence from the heavier sounds produced later into the 70’s. The result is a retro outpouring of furious drums, throat-shaking bass-lines, bone-rattling riffs, and above all else, vocals that dance all over the top like fire spitting tornados.

The band were ignited two years ago when guitarist ‘Sam Orr’ and vocalist ‘J.R.’ met online and began talking about ideas regarding a more contemporary sound that still encapsulated aspects of what they admired from the heavy, psychedelic rock born back in the late 1960’s. The pair enlisted Tommy Drury to provide the engine for the band’s rhythm and the trio began to kick out the jams, but soon realised they needed a fully fledged bassist to achieve the sound they truly desired. Up stepped ‘The Bear’, a mountain of a man armed with four beefy 15” speakers. Drawing from his influences, stemming from Red Fang to Grand Funk Railroad, The Bear stamped his place within the camp immediately.

As a unit, 1968 thunder their way through material written with riffs, groove and cascading oceans of space noises coupled with copious amounts of fuzz. Powered by EL34 valves, Irish whiskey, Diesel, leathers and boots, 1968 are here to stay and they show no signs of stopping. With a brand new self-titled EP set to be unleashed in January, this record will devour you whole. The opening riff of ‘Marauder’ pounds at you like a wolf at your door – there’s just no denying this beast of a track. The swagger and Zeppelin-inspired groove of ‘Green Sails’ is next up, and hits you with an intoxicating riff assault and immense refrain served up by the industrious J.R. The closer, ‘HMS Conan’, is a fitting conclusion with its high velocity fused stoner rock that is an enthralling journey through the dark corridors of Sabbath and early Soundgarden. 1968 just hate standing still, so look out for tour dates through the Winter and beyond.

https://www.facebook.com/1968Band