It’s awesome to see a band break out.
Back in 2011, we were first introduced to Kyng, a Cali-born band who was promoting their indie debut Trampled Sun. The guys in the band were super-passionate about their music and just overall great dudes to speak with. Yet, to be honest, the music off that first record didn’t leave an indelible mark on this metal head’s soul. It was a solid record no doubt, but there was something missing.
Flash forward to 2014 and Kyng has returned in a bloody triumphant manner with their sophomore release, Burn the Serum. Now this is a damn fine piece of rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe this is what what happens when a young band hits the road with The Sword, Clutch and Megadeth and earns a handpicked spot on Metallica’s first-ever Orion Music+More. Maybe this is a band finding itself and maturing. Hell, whatever it is, they found whatever they were missing. Kyng has arrived, plain and simple.
Burn the Serum is a glorious collection of thick, heavy, stoner metal riffs, blazing guitar solos and vocals that are simultaneously melodic and bloody knuckle tough (think of Corrosion of Conformity’s Karl Agell blended with doses of Maynard James Keenan and Chris Cornell).
The anthem, the one to immediately grab for your playlist is “Lost One” which is currently getting some serious SiriusXM play. This really shows the balance of badassery and harmony that Kyng so brilliantly embodies. Vocalist Eddie Veliz taps into his inner Soundgarden-era Chris Cornell here, delivering fierce, growling vocals that reach the highest parts of the heavens. Every instrument here is showcased perfectly — Pepe Clarke (drums), and Tony Castaneda (bass) build a thick, bouncing backbone while Veliz just lets loose all sorts of hell on his guitar. This is the kind of song you roll down the windows to and unabashedly head bang to.
If you’ve been licking your wounds over the lack of good metal these days or miss the stuff bands like Kyuss or CoC used to produced then do not sleep on Kyng’s Burn the Serum. This band has taken a massive step forward from their humble beginnings and it’s exciting to see what they’ve got in store for years to come. Love live the Kyng, indeed.
