Published on May 30, 2005
If you’re looking for a release that is straight-ahead power
metal without a lot of peaks and valleys, look no further than the
recent release from Kinrick. Guitar whiz Corbin King, vocalist
Stephen Fredrick, drummer Sstian Kristoffersen, and bassist James
Martin, create mildly interesting metal that fails to distinguish
its material from other metal bands.
I want a metal band that has all the power of Kinrick, but I
want more diversity. All of the songs were written by David
Chastain and all fall between 4:02 and 4:51 in length of time.
There’s no track that is longer and allows the band members to
stretch out musically with an extended guitar solo. Without any
distinctive features, the material falls flat, one track blurring
into the next.
Even the lyrics, which all speak in metaphors like “I am the
fire burning” and “I know I fight alone” and “Stand Up And Fight”
don’t really relate to the listener and ultimately can’t save this
release. There’s a cheesy’ 80s feel, intended or not, when Fredrick
sings, “Stand up and fight / you know you are right.” This type of
anthem has been done countless times by countless other bands and
it’s getting old. I’m thinking of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna
Take It” and Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize,” both mindless
anthems without a lot of thought in them. I have to believe that
there is something more to metal than standing up and fighting.
Musically, there’s the guitar work of King, which sounds
impressive. There are a lot of fills and flash. Kristoffersen’s
drumbeats feature a lot of double bass work and flashy tom fills.
Yet, there’s a sameness to the guitar riffs and drums that nags at
me as I listen to this release. I was disappointed in this release
because the tracks failed to distinguish themselves from one
another. This is 45 minutes of non-stop heavy metal. If you’re in
the mood for mindlessly jumping around, Kinrick is your ticket. I
like my metal to be more stimulating than retreading metal anthems
from the ’80s.