KILL THE KING
KILL THE KING “Kill The King”
By Dr. Abner Mality
The Indian tiger roars again! Here’s another great release from the most populous country in the world, following closely on the heels of the excellent GUTSLIT album. It’s no coincidence, because one of KILL THE KING’s guitarists also plays in GUTSLIT.
This is thrash metal of the highest caliber. Not only does it have speed and anger in abundance, but there’s a very progressive edge to much of the record. There’s a definite resemblance to ANNIHILATOR in the “Alice In Hell”/”Neverland” era and KTK also matches up well with the best of TESTAMENT. At every stage, this record is on point...production, riffing, playing ability and very pointed and political lyrics. This is not just a case of “great band from exotic country”, this is a great band period, regardless of origin.
After a brief intro, “Hate Advocacy” lays down the law with ferocity. Great thrash in the Bay Area tradition. “Money Talks” and “Freedom” prove that the opener was no accident. Damn, the riffing is great! It twists and writhes in sometimes unusual ways, catching you off guard but always retaining a maximum hookiness. “Abuse” drops things a bit for a restrained opening, but explodes into a whirlwind and features great soloing. “No Country For Women” is a compact instrumental but might just be my favorite track...there’s a melodic prog element that is just so cool.
Speaking of prog, longer songs like “Regicide” and “Dystopian Reign” give KILL THE KING room to experiment a bit more. If I had to nitpick, I’d say some of the vocal lines on the latter song came across a little too poppy and mainstream for me. Yet still the track thrashes. I detect a little resemblance to DEATH ANGEL as well and that comes across in Pritam Adhikary’s vocals as well.
What else is there to say? India strikes again. This proves they can do thrash on the level of ENFORCED and HIGH COMMAND.