King's X:
Ogre Tones

by Scott Hudson

When King's X arrived on the music scene with their 1988 debut, Out of the Silent Planet, their sound was assessed as Black Sabbath meets the Beatles. And while their music was indeed entrenched with the hard rock ilk of Sabbath coupled with the sweet melodicism of the Beatles, the band's sound was far more complex. The Houston, TX based trio (bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick, guitarist/vocalist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill) drew upon an amalgamation of rock styles from prog to metal, laced with intricate arrangements, hook-filled choruses, tight rhythms, seamlessly interwoven harmonies, and effortlessly propelled by the strong, soulful pipes of Pinnick.

The '90s would find the band enjoying enormous critical, yet moderate commercial success based on stellar releases - the monumental Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989), Faith, Hope, Love (1990), King's X (1992) and the alt-rock infused Dogman (1994). With each album delivering a cavalcade of soon-to-be classics; the biggest dilemma the band faced was what songs from their exhaustive catalog would ultimately comprise their set list from tour to tour. The release of their latest record, Ogre Tones won't make that decision any easier.

Ogre Tones represents the eleventh studio album by King's X, and if you think that after 25 years together there would be an ebb in their creative steam, you'd be sadly mistaken. For Ogre Tones the band vacated the producer's chair for the first time since Ear Candy (1996) in favor of veteran producer Michael Wagner (Alice Cooper, Metallica, Extreme). The result is a strong, although stripped down set that harkens back to the band's glory days. Gone are the progressive tendencies that were so prevalent on most of the band's previous output. Only "Sooner or Later" walks the line of prog, with Tabor's extended outro solo that owes more than a small debt to "The Burning Down" from Out of the Silent Planet. Present are cleverly crafted, song-oriented gems, coupled with precision vocal harmonies; and superb musicianship that has been the cornerstone of King's X since their inception.

Although King's X chose the heavy, propulsive opener "Alone" as it's single and video, they really could have blindly drawn from a hat for a song to represent this record. "Stay", "Hurricane" and "Fly" are as hook-laden as anything the band has ever recorded, with the later composition a virtual

playground for Tabor's classic riffs. Then there is "Get Away" with Pinnick questioning why God allows innocent people to suffer:

Hey God, that kid was locked up for 3 years
Why do the innocent suffer?

For a change of pace, the listener is graced by the presence of solo Ty on "Honesty." Like "Legal Kill" (Faith, Hope, Love) and "The Difference" (Gretchen) this heartfelt ballad features Tabor with his acoustic guitar and always buoyant vocal carrying the message. By far the strongest track on the album is Tabor's "Freedom", but it is also just as controversial. Rumor has it that this track was left off of Ear Candy, and while lines like "Freedom to have two mothers and they both be men" and "Freedom to go out and join the KKK" won't cause the sky to fall, they surely won't go unnoticed, either... that is, unless one is too preoccupied by Tabor's catchy guitar phrases and the band’s majestic harmonies to even notice.

Unfortunately, Ogre Tones will probably go unnoticed by mainstream audiences, but that in no way diminishes the brilliance of this stellar effort. Just as they have done before, they quietly churn out top-notch records, while continuing to be the best kept secret in rock.