The Death Of A King was recorded at Karma Sound Studios in Thailand and is the follow-up to the Top 20 album Mirrors. With five Top 20 albums already under their belts, Sheffield band, Reverend and the Makers have carved out a niche for themselves as enduring rock and rollers. I listened the the new album The Death of a King and here are my thoughts.
The album kicks off with a slow intro before Miss Haversham slowly picks up some pace. The track is good and lively, bringing together an easy melody and rough guitar riffs. Next up is Auld Reekie Blues, which suggests heavy old school American anthem influences. The track is an easy listen and leads to a much more intricate and interesting track Bang Seray. This song is beautifully crafted and layered with exotic sounds from around the world. Indeed, Bang Seray is a mix of Oriental, Asian and modern sounds. The track doesn’t have any lyrics because it doesn’t need any and almost serves as a transition to the next section of the album.
Boomerang is one of the highlights of the album, the track is a mix of blues and psychedelic rock, which entrances you from the moment you hear it. Too Tough To Die is probably one of the catchiest and best tracks on the album, it combines lyrics that stay with you with a great guitar riff. This, much heavier track is a stark reminder of Reverend and The Makers bolder tracks.
Monkey See, Monkey Do is the wild card of the album. At first I wasn’t too sure about this track as it seems to be world’s apart from the rest of the songs so far. It starts of mellow but then peaks into a much bigger song layered with psych rock guitar riffs. Black Cat is just as odd and feels like the sort of track you’d hear in a dingy bar in Louisiana.
Autumn Leaves goes back to blues and heavy guitar riffs. The song is coupled with beautiful harmonies, which make you want to chant along. Time Machine is another favourite on the album. The track is another great rock anthem with great melody riffs and a more contemporary sound.
The album ends with a surprising track, Black Flowers. The female vocals give this song sass and hypnotise you for its stunning intro. It then becomes a much bigger, bolder song that almost sound like a descent to madness. It’s beautifully crafted and a great way to bring the record to an end.
The Death of a King is a well crafted album following classic patterns of blues but incorporating exotic and modern sounds. The album seems to have its own life, changing as it grows but this can also be off-putting as some of the tracks seem to be world’s apart. There real bursts of genius but these can be downplayed by random additions that don’t feel right. Overall I would still recommend this for a listen.
Track listing: 1. Miss Haversham 2. Auld Reekie Blues 3. Bang Seray 4. Boomerang 5. Too Tough To Die 6. Carlene 7. Monkey See 8. Black Cat 9. Who Am I 10. Time Machine 11. Juliet Knows 12. Black Flowers Record Label: Cooking Vinyl Release Date: 22nd September
