THE PERSISTENCE

You may call it hip, trendy, state-of-the-art maybe. We do have a lot of bands underway currently which are blending prog metal, alternative and heavy art rock with differing intention. Particularly hailing from Italy. Some of them have recorded mediocre albums, some have failed more or less going this way, KINGCROW though convince me with their new rounded production. I mean, they actually are able to trigger great delight. More than ever it depends on the song writing skills of course. Guitarist Diego Cafolla turns out to be the main composer, he wrote about 3 hours of music in total, finally ending up into 'The Persistence'. Hereby the approach was 'to step a bit outside of our comfort zone and refresh our sound'.

Well, I'm sure this is not meant to assign the past albums with any negative hint. In some way this is just another comfort zone I would say. What exactly convinces? They are providing melodic heavy rock songs which are appealing. Everybody and everything is running on the right track here. The production is simply flawless. And, no filler, they are keeping up the high level from the first to the last minute. Be it the smart ballad Night's Descending or the wonderful masterpieces Closer and Father. That sums it all up to something extraordinary. Great album featuring hints of Porcupine Tree, Soul Doubt, Opeth, Pain Of Salvation.

Listening diary 16th September, 2021: Kingcrow - The Persistence (progressive metal, 2018)

This could quite easily be my favourite album from Kingcrow, even though it doesn't deviate at all from the formula they've been playing for a few albums now. I always seem to get these guys entangled with Polish group Votum in my head - they have the same mix of prog, goth and metal that owes a lot to Riverside and Tool, to the point where I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a Votum album. Kingcrow have always been the weaker of the two to me, but given Votum's mediocre latest effort, this signals a bit of a change of the guard. For the most part, this is exciting, energetic, melodic, and avoids the Riverside clone trappings of some of their previous albums.

7.6 (4th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

Perfect or Perfectly Imperfect?

A remarkably consistent, modern prog rock album full of thick walls of interesting sound, fantastic polyrhythms, excellent musicianship, great vocals and lyrics, all wrapped in beautiful melancholy and themes of determination (Persistence?).

I delayed writing a review of this album despite it being the album I listened to the most in 2022. That's because it deserves that I take my time and pay back a band for this amazing album that I have enjoyed so much. I first listened to this album in 2020 or 2021. I found it summarized on some online, top prog albums blog. I liked it at the time, but I only listened to it two or three times and forgot about it. I played it again last year and it caught. Then I listened to it again and it caught more..and again, and again. In fact, after dozens of complete listens, it continues to grow on me. That, along with the fact that I listen to it in its entirety 95% of the times is a mark of a very strong album.

This album is certainly pretty deep into the modern rock end of the prog spectrum, but I find it very palatable and interesting. Diego Marchesi delivers a powerful and interesting vocal performance which became one of my favourite features of the album, along with the many choruses and phrases that are cerebral glue.

The album opens with "Drenched", which begins with atmospheric keys that lay the groundwork for the album to come, followed by heavy guitars playing Rush-like octave intervals, with smooth keys in the background and single piano notes leading the melody. Note the drums, played by Thundra Cafolla, that are quite front in the mix throughout the album and the complex but musically fitting beats and polyrhythms. (Sometimes I find myself focusing a lot on drumwork in this album). Stop. Singing starts. I think to myself, "I don't know if this band/album is my thing". It's a little too pretty and poppy. Trust me. Hold on. Persist. It picks up. Everything builds. Strong, catchy, powerful, chorus starts and it's good! Second verse starts and it's not as cheesy this time. Back to a variation of the opening jam. Sweet! Repeat of opening keys then explosion back into the chorus. So smooth. Strong closing jam. The lyrics seem to be describing breaking out of a slumber and a sort of existential angst, waking to the present and being called.

Next up is "Closer". Again, keys set the opening atmosphere. Pedal-tone guitar kicks in and then some clean guitar arpeggios. Then smooth vocals. Holy, sweet, polyrhythms batman! Then we are hit with a second, very catchy chorus that explodes out of the preceding section. Second verses change up the instrumentals from the first run with a repeating bass line and more typical drums over the background keys. New, beautiful layers build into the mix with strumming, 2-3 string guitar chords and faded background vocals. Pause into a short, few bar interlude to contrast the blast back into the chorus. Then we get into an amazing, closing jam, reminiscent of the best of the band Wheel. Following that is more of the nice strumming guitar with electric guitar arpeggios and a soft repeat of the chorus. Beautiful. Lyrical themes are of reaching out and pushing ourselves into new, unchartered territory, expanding our limits further and further, bringing us closer and closer to ?

"Everything Goes" opens with an atmospheric introduction that builds into multi layers of overlapping vocal verses and additional instruments. Interesting lyrics paint a melancholic picture of being beaten down, defeated, but advising hope: "If you have a raging fever, you're about to turn the page". Song picks up, repeating the layered vocals before moving into a closing jam with a guitar theme common from the opening tracks. "Folding Paper Dreams" opens with wonderful, jazzy drums (I am going to stop mentioning polyrhythms, you get the idea), interesting piano and nice vocals over the persistent, atmospheric keys. Very cool and progressive changes to the developing themes pass by over lyrics of an offer to be there by our side and support us through hardship. 1:35 explodes into a wall of guitar and great vocals and yet another catchy chorus and lyrics: "Maybe I'm just in your mind, my way to be with you. Maybe the light of the day, my way to warm your skin. Maybe it's just in my mind, my way to be with you. Maybe the light of the day, makes me feel I'm with you. Folding paper dreams. What is left of us, still resounds" The song picks up. "A broken mechanism. We walk a different path on the same road". Then we repeat and close with a beautiful, clean guitar, solo.

Time for the title song, "The Persistence". This song is excellent and uses themes of sailing through hard seas as an analogy for perseverance through life or whatever obstacle. Great, catchy chorus: "Plant your foot down. Brace yourself for the waves". War drums then set the beat over a complex, dark, wall of sound and vocals leading into a more optimistic verse of persistence, asking for someone to stick (sail) with them until they hit the land. Wonderful, mid song jams kick in, transitioning into new coolness at 4:02 when the tribal drums return, washed with huge, sweeping, Wah-Wah guitars and megaphone vocals. The last 70 seconds is a wonderful fade-out to just the background keys. So nice.

"Every Broken Piece of Me" is an extremely melancholic piece as the title implies. It lulls us in before once again exploding into a catchy chorus. One of my favourite parts of the album starts at 3:40 when pulsing, dark keys kick in over a light beat and then a clean guitar riff before a Porcupine Tree-like heavy jam breaks out. Perfection. "Devils Got a Picture" is a nice track, again consistent with the overall album's themes, both musically and lyrically: "Learn to rise. Perceive the larger plan. And for the price you pay I'd call it fair (don't think you're fooling someone else)". Another example of tastefully applying varying tempos, volumes and depth of sounds follows as things quiet up a bit before kicking in again and then soft again for the close-out chorus with "The only rule is go ahead" added, from an earlier verse, enforcing the album theme.

"Night's Descending" is a beauty, featuring a tremendous, guest vocal performance from Daniel Gildenlaw (Pain of Salvation, Flower Kings). Does this guy ever have a voice. Very expressive and passionate. The song plays out over a nice keys and overlaying guitar pattern before the bass and drums kick in with a simple backline. The chorus explodes at 2:10: "Rise anew, before the sun comes". Daniel then picks it up another notch with incredible, R&B style before a wonderfully tasteful guitar solo and a return to the chorus.

"Father" opens softly, but with some building, atmospheric keys in the back and a sense of building tension and the need to release. Here it is. Heavy guitars kick in, but just for a teaser. After another quieter part, it picks up again and goes different, interesting places. Themes of wondering how one measures up in the eyes of a deceased father and despair and perhaps transition, leaving behind what is, what and where one is, etc.

"Perfectly Imperfect" is the closer that this album deserves. Melancholic once again, but with themes of optimism and reconciliation in a relationship. What an amazing, powerful chorus to close this masterpiece of an album out, "Time to go. Two perfectly imperfect, as we are. Time to take this chance. Who but you? Who but me? Who can do it now? Who can do so?".

Wow, I just love this album. It is so consistently good, song to song, with really good continuity of sounds and themes without sounding repetitious. It might not work for a lot of prog heads because it may be too modern rock, but I think many will love it, if they give it a few spins. This is an interesting band and it's cool to listen to their albums chronologically and see how they progressively developed towards the sounds on this album. I think that this Italian band really hit the winning formula with this album, and I hope they put out something this good again. Perfect or perfectly imperfect? I say perfect. Oh, and I love the cover. It's perfect too!