GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA

When I saw the first review of a King's X album last week, my heart jumped. Alright, here's some music I can write about before most others here at PA. ........ Then I sat down to start with this album ... er, mmm, aagghh ... I couldn't for the life of me think of how to start. So I gave it a few listens in the past few days, and I found out why. when this was released in '89, it was quite unlike any hard rock or metal out there. Ty Tabor's tone was the holy grail for many a budding guitarist. The secret, eventually revealed much later - pull back on the guitar's volume knob. Think La Villa Strangiato played on a Strat, with a bit more gain. Anyways, the group had it all. Raga like bass intro on Out of the Silent Planet, then the guitar crashes in, with Doug Pinnick quickly following suit. Heavy and heavenly. Spiritual, christian based lyrics, but no preaching. Tempo shifts, and something more than verse chorus verse basic blues structure, yet not quite abrasive to be truly metal. Over my Head was the song that got me into them. Heard it on the radio a few times and just had to get the album. Even in what, for King's X, is a straight ahead rocker, the band throw in more into this song than many rockers do in an album. Heavy riff for the verse, funky distorto guitar on the chorus and back again. Hey wait, Pinnick is singing about memories of his Grandmother praying and singing to him as a baby. Does the Heavy Metal Association know about this ? Anyway, to make the rest of this brief - You'll find hard edged rock, you'll find funky twists, harmony vocals matching the Beatles and Queen and many other groups of vocal reknown. You'll hear how good hard rock can be. How intelligence and melody can still sound heavy. If they had gotten a top 40 hit or video off this album, I say that instead of talking of Dream Theater or Queensryche, that most of the heavier prog fans would be raving about King's X. Alas, moderate success, critical raves, musicians' worship of their chops has meant a career. And finally, for what it's worth, if you like you music loud, and melodic, with variety in the sounds and styles without descending into a genre expose on a song by song basis, then please find it, borrow it , buy it. IT truly is that good. Hopefully, PA can make arrangements for a few MP3s from this album to give a glimpse as to what can be.