Poundhound

Item: Massive Grooves From the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungalism Rock Music
Author: Steven S. Baldwin

Massive Grooves From the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungalism Rock Music

(1998)

Reviewed by Steven S. Baldwin

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Metal Blade RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

funk metal funk rock groove metal hard rock

Unless your name is Sting or Peter Gabriel, fans of exceptional bands don't usually expect too much from the solo efforts of individuals departing or taking a break from their band. They usually provide an opportunity for musicians to stretch their musical legs a bit, and as a result can vary widely in accessibility, style, and overall worth. Doug Pinnick, as the frontman and bass player for King's X, proves this case with his first solo project under the moniker Poundhound.

The first track is a spoken word introduction that sounds like Prince's intro to "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain:

Have you ever been to the Electric Church
The Reverend Hershall Happiness resides
Psychofunkadelic Grungelism in the garden of
Dysfunctional love...the Cosmic Gospel of Love
Electric Poundation
I'll take you there, Electric Church.

This odd bit of funkified preaching sets the album's tone as a departure from the faith, hope, and love messages of King's X's formerly more sanctified works, which have been replaced here with mostly "if it feels good do it, retro-Sixties, love yourself, and just worship the music" vibes. This sentiment is also echoed on the sticker on Pinnick's guitar which reads, "F*#k 'em if they can't take a toke."

If King's X's recent album Tapehead is the center-piece of all things King's Xish this year, then Poundhound still proves to be a worthy bookend to lead guitarist Ty Tabor's Moonflower Lane. There is a lesson to be found in considering these two solo albums together. Neither of these solo projects prove to be quite as exciting as the material Pinnick and Tabor produce together as King's X. If nothing else, this shows that they need each other, and along with Gaskill, make a combination greater than the sum of the parts. Massive Grooves... corroborates ample proof of this. If Tabor's Moonflower Lane demonstrates the more sentimental, Beatlesesque, straight-forward, mellower metal vibes with a more theo-centric focus, Pinnick's Poundhound is the soulful, Jimi Hendrixish, groovy, experimental sounds with a more obscure and ultimately self-serving lyrical focus.

Surprisingly, of the two solo albums, Poundhound sounds most like King's X. This is due in large part to Pinnick's signature vocal delivery and the heavy bass on the bottom end. He not only proves himself again to be a characteristically strong vocalist with a gospel texture and an accomplished bass player, but also an adequate guitar player in his own right. The only instrument he didn't play was the drums, which were provided by King's X's Jerry Gaskill, and Shannon Larkin and Chad Lyons. Pinnick also wrote, recorded, arranged, and produced the whole piece with help from Sylvester Stewart on "Blind's Eye."

The result of his considerable efforts is a batch of fourteen songs that range from straight-forward rock 'n' roll with a funky edge to more creative sonic experiments like "Super Salad," with its dramatic and driving grooves. Every song is worthy of repeated listening, some may even cause you to hit your repeat button, but not one quite qualifies as an instant classic along the lines of King's X's most impressive works. Gratefully, none are embarrassments either.

The only lyrical ambition for "Music" is a playful celebration of music, but it fails to inspire in the same way that King's X's "Over My Head" does. "Soul" reaches a little higher by describing an angry soul who doesn't bother to lock his house doors because everyone steals. This central figure also has ambitious plans:

We're gonna buy ourselves a mountain
We're gonna find our way back home
We're gonna find a way of living
We're gonna free our soul.

Other songs tell more concrete and compelling tales, like "Psycholove," which suggests the pains involved in a divorce; "Friends," which retells sobering accounts of people's pain-filled lives; and "Hey," which salutes hope in the face of the bizarreness of life.

One thing is for certain, Pinnick wins the award for the longest album title this year. He has also proven himself able to stand on his own (without that other band of his) and create a funky hard rock festival of interesting observations and toe-tappin' grooves. Ultimately, if you like the funkier side of King's X, you may actually prefer this disc. If not, at the very least Massive Grooves provides a very enjoyable companion piece to Tabor's solo effort, and a worthy fan curio among the greater King's X collection.

4 tocks