Originally Posted by
binnie
KXM – KXM (2014)
Usually when you describe a rock record as ‘contempoary’ you’re using it as a synonym for ‘confused’ or ‘characterless’, but in the case of the debut record from KXM – a three-piece comprising Doug Pinnick (King’s X), Ray Luzier (Korn, David Lee Roth) and George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) – it is meant with as a genuine compliment. Here we have an album by a band who have taken influences from the entire 45 year span of your record collection and rolled them into something which is very much their own. At times gritty, bluesy or grungy, KXM is a heavy record on which each member restrains their ability to show-off and instead focusses on penning some damn fine tunes. Where so many ‘supergroups’ chase the glories of their past (Audioslave, Velvet Revolver) here is one in which the group is bigger than any ego involved in making it.
Opener ‘Stars’ has plenty of guts in the bottom end and is heavier than many will be expecting, a blast of gnarly hard rock with a very raw feel to it that is instantaneous. The voodoo blues of ‘Rescue Me’ is also like a shot to the chin, and comes with the sort of chorus that would be all over the radio in a fairer world. The songs are propelled by Luzier’s idiosyncratic rhythms to make them loose and very groove orientated, with the space between the pasts making the performances breathe and pulsate in a very live manner. When ‘I’ll Be OK’ kicks in there’s plenty of menace and bit, and the swing of ‘Sleep’ (which is one part grunge, the other gospel) makes for something mighty powerful. Pinnick’s vocals may be limited, but they positively drip conviction (see ‘Never Stop’ and ‘Burn’).
KXM is a record that rewards multiple spins, and the band have a sound that is both fresher than you might expect from guys this far into their careers and pushes beyond anything which any member has done. The emphasis on feel over flash is executed perfectly: in many ways, this may be some of Lynch’s best playing – not in a ‘oh-my-God-how-is-he-doing-that?’ kind of way, but in the sense of how much impact his guitar has here precisely because it’s both dialled down and locked into the weight of Luzier’s and Pinnick’s rhythms. It seems that you can teach old dogs new tricks.
All we can hope for now is that we get a chance to hear these tunes live.