Over the years King's X delivered albums with quality melodic rock. Musically they don't bring many surprises anymore. Yet what surprises me on Manic Moonlight is the productional decision to use loop programming. Many of the songs start with loops. This is the input of guitarist Ty Tabor who took care of production again. The songs, like False Alarm and The Other Side, sound exactly like what you might expect from this band as they are in the unique King's X style: Great vocal melodies and hooks, harmonic vocals and melody driven rock. A musical surprise is Static with a mellow start and loops giving the song its drive. The second half brings in the heavy guitars. The lead vocals are handled by Doug Pinnick alone this time. Lyrically you can find all sorts of contradicting phrases that keep me puzzling, like: "I don't wanna do this anymore; I really wanna do it" (Static). "I can't wait to see you smile; I can't wait to see you cry" (Jenna). As you might expect, this is a quality rock product. Few surprises, but good.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Dan SingletonI'm embarrassed to say that I thought Manic Moonlight, the new release from King's X (Metal Blade Records) was awful the first time I listened to it. I attribute that opinion to the lousy speakers attached to my portable CD player. After trying again with headphones, I was assured that, yes, this really is King's X and, yes, reign they still do. Doug Pinnick's rumbly bass and soulful vocals, Ty…Similar sounding releases
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