IN REVIEW: Kyng - "Breathe in the Water"

For their third album, Kyng have enlisted Machine, producer of some of Clutch's best work in addition to many others. The result is a batch of tunes that have a thicker sound than previous record Burn the Serum, but also a sharper focus on melody. While there isn't anything quite as purely sticky as Electric Halo (my choice for best heavy song of 2014), Breathe in the Water is overall a much more melodic affair. It's all held together by Eddie Veliz, who not only displays his prowess on guitar but also gives a masterful vocal performance that compliments these songs regardless of what the music calls for. Breathe in the Water is diverse, encompassing aggressive metal, Sabbath-inspired groove, dark blues, and even some Alice in Chains-like hard grunge, among other styles; the feat Kyng pulls off here is sounding natural at all of them. Breathe in the Water is a varied and satisfying record for the present while laying a very large blueprint for their future endeavours.

October 7, 2016 • Razor & Tie
Highlights Closer To the End • Show Me Your Love • Bipolar Schemes

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Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

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Artists who stand alone, who put their name on their album jackets and assume full responsibility for the art they give to the world, exhibit a kind of bravery that I've always admired. It takes courage to stand on that proverbial stage in solitude; this year's nominees faced varying degrees of challenges, but they all shared the desire to stare down the criticisms and expectations of every other individual they shared the air with and exclaim, "Don't worry. I've got this." Your Year in Rock 2016 nominees for Solo Artist Recording of the Year are:

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