We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: Albums that seemingly pop into existence out of nowhere (Read: Records we didn’t know were coming) are the best kinds of surprises for us. Like KIND, who already rule real hard and will be delivering their latest record to our collective earholes real soon.
“Burn Scar” enters and barely misses a step continuing on the journey that previous album Mental Nudge laid out as Craig Riggs’ powerful pipes immediately take hold along with some mighty riffage from Darryl Shepard as Tom Corino and Matthew Couto’s respective bass and drum rhythmic roundabout run some heaviness through your head for almost seven minutes to start. “Favorite One” drops in next and is big, bad, beautiful, and bombastic all at once with Riggs’ layered vocal take adding a trippy texture that’s like Alice In Chains doing Sludge Rawk (Not to be confused with AIC’s experimental dirge “Sludge Factory”) while “Black Yesterday” sets Shepard’s Blues-tinged riffs upon unsuspecting earholes with Corino laying out these Kyuss-like bass rumbles.
“Snag” lets Riggs shine some more with a broad chorus with “Massive” easily fitting in a number of the early discography’s of bands the KIND collective were once apart of as this majestically crafted Rawk rolls on. “Power Grab” ups the tempo and the aural ante for a quick burst of guitar, bass, and drum fury as Riggs’ lush vocals lead the way and continue on into “Of The Ages” with its’ whirlwind of riffs from Shepard and then “What It Is To Be Free” repetitively bounces before surging into a sick full on Rawk jam and some equally sick Shepard solos. Closer “Pacino” is, ahem, kind of timeless with a slick seven minutes and change full of full on uninhibited riffin’, full-bodied bass playing, riveting drum lines, and vocals that weave in and out of the sonic tapestry as needed.
Close Encounters arrives through Ripple Music on August 11th. You can go get yer pre-order on now by heading here, here, or by clicking on the stream below. For the latest from KIND, follow them across the interwebs when you click here or here.
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