Kill The King – Kill The King

Never heard of any metal band from the great country of India? I have on a different occasion, but never as good one (maybe with the exception of Kryptos) as Kill The King. Who are they? From Pune, Maharashtra (India) comes Kill The King. The band consits of five members; Aditya Swaminathan (Guitars), Rishikesh Dharap (Guitars), Pritam Adhikary (Vocals), Saurabh Lodha (Bass) & Rahul Singh (Drums).

Now about the music itself, which is the main reason why we’re doing this. It’s the abovementioned Aditya Swaminathan that sent me their new CD for review. It’s their self-titled nine tracker debut King The King. I like how everything around this release seems well-thought and revolving around their fight against any form for oppresion, injustice, inequality or discrimination incl. minority groups, transgender and homosexual people, which may be controversial in a country like India.

Judging from the cover artwork, band’s moniker, song titles (“Freedom”, “Money Talks”, “In the Name of Culture”, just to mention few) and even the lyrical content, one can presume that we’re dealing here with nine relentless tracks addressing the harsh realities of Indian society. Thus, lyrically, the songs featured on King The King give voice to victims of oppression and those who fight back.

Musically, Kill The King has this modern thrash sound, but also with a healthy dose of an old-school thrash metal much in the vein of Exodus, Death Angel, Testament and similar, mainly US Bay Area, thrash giants. In other words; it’s a piece of searing and unrelenting thrash metal with mostly fast-paced guitars – with crunchy and infectious riffs, gut-wrenching and firework like energetic drumming, thumping and crunching basslines, and powerful soaring and growling vocals.

Before you think it’s all about relentless speed and insane brutality, you should note that several of tracks are actually over six minutes long. It’s perfectly exemplified with the lengthy “Abuse” which it in its first half builds up an atmosphere, before cutting loose into an explosive, and sonically abusive second half. It may be the longest, but it’s also the best composed track, showcasing serious potential and terrific musicianship by this upcoming hard-hitting quintet from India. A few words on some other interesting songs; the album starts with the guitar-driven instrumental intro opener called “Sirens”, transitioning nicely into “Hate Advocacy”, which unlike its predecessor is a full-throttle thrashing speed with numerous crunchy riffs, a big opening anthemic chorus while featuring a few barks and growls of the band’s vocalist. Finally, I have to briefly mention a track called “Freedom”, a hell of a fast, savage and aggressive track, and for me personally, one of the album highlights.

Remember RATM and similar politically aware American acts? Although a different sound, King The King album equally serves as a call to rise against injustice and to redefine that particular part of the world. Kill The King definitely emphasizes that there’s tons of talent within this promising and confident band.

For further info visit https://killthekingofficial.bandcamp.com/