King's X

Item: Tape Head
Author: Alex Klages

Tape Head

(1998)

Reviewed by Alex Klages

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Label Metal Blade RecordsThe LighthouseUnsorted 1999

alternative metal hard rock progressive rock

Catchy pop hooks and crunchingly hard rock are what has defined King's X for as long as I can remember. Their new album, Tape Head, is no exception to this general rule. If you've heard King's X, or are already a fan, then no introduction is necessary. If you've never heard them before, though, this album may be the introduction you've been waiting for.

The switch of record companies seems to have done the band some good. There is a certain element of fun in the music that sometimes seemed to be missing on other albums. One need only check out the extra track, "Walter Bela Farkas," to discover that not only is King's X connected with Galactic Cowboys, but that they also have a ton of fun making music, even when it doesn't all work.

Ty Tabor's brilliant guitar leads and the solid foundation laid by Doug Pinnick's bass and Jerry Gaskill's drumming, as always, give the polished power trio sound that is the heart of King's X's longevity and popularity. The often Beatles-esque harmonies are still very much a part of their sound. Songs such as "Ocean," on which Tabor sings lead, are excellent evidence of this overall band identity, with slightly less crunch than other outstanding tracks like "Groove Machine," which has enough rumbling low-end to rattle the dresser on which my CD player sits, and "Fade," which proves that metal isn't dead - it's just morphed into something more interesting.

Of course, just to keep things interesting towards the end of the album, there's a track called "Mr. Evil" which sounds like it could have been written for some country-rock band. This is followed by the most up-tempo number on the album, "World," which catalogues the ills of the world, ultimately coming to the line, "Doomsdayin', God savin', everybody dies."

While King's X has never considered itself to be a Christian band so much as a band that just happens to have Christians as members, "Ocean" and "Happy" seem to bear witness to their faith pretty clearly to me. Songs like "Hate You," with the line "You don't know how much I hate you," and "Higher Than God," with its refrain of "Cold as an icy stream, lighter than everything/I thought we were higher than God" make sense from the perspective that we are still human and thus flawed.

The standout track on the album, though, is the deceptively named "Ono." This song has nothing to do with either John Lennon or Barenaked Ladies (whose first Canadian hit was "Be My Yoko Ono") and everything to do with that feeling you get when you realize that the more things change, the more things remain the same: "Ono, ono, some things remain the same/Some people never change." The opening chords remind one of Soundgarden's tune "Blow Up The Outside," but what they do with the chords is so entirely unlike what Soundgarden did that it is refreshing, to say the least.

I find nothing to complain about regarding this album. The men of King's X have paid their dues; they know what they like to play, how to play it, what length an album should be, and how to keep the lyrics interesting. If you admit to liking metal back when it was cool, but graduated to alternative, give this band a listen - here's hoping that with Metal Blade behind them, King's X finally get the promotion they deserve!