Album Review: King Ketchup, Special Blend

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New Auckland band King Ketchup drop this fiery debut album, intent on levelling everything in their path. The blitz and pyrotechnics of frantic computer games as played by Rick and Morty.

Band members come from various loose associations of similar musical minds spanning the last ten years.

Jess Haugh from Scarlett Lashes. Fred Scahill from Cindy. Darryn Harkness from New Telepathics and From Scratch. James King from Cindy and DHDFD’s. Joel Beeby from Water and DHDFD’s.

Punk, New Wave, Thrash and Speed Metal. But also roots stretching further back and really, great Rock’n’Roll in the end.

Canvas starts with the sound of rain. Incantations matched to rolling guitar riffs. Continues with Cats. The rhythm slows and walks with heavy legs. Echoes and shrieks. Out of the murk comes a Tom Verlaine Marque Moon guitar shred perfectly executed. A dark and ominous mood. A short melodic bridge and then fast drums finish.

A classic Black Sabbath sound is woven through a lot of this music. Hated by critics and purist snobs. Huge popular fan base. Resurrected by Punks and Post-Punks like Henry Rollins.

Shed has all this and more. A six-minute plus epic. Starts at a slow lugubrious tempo. Shredded vocal cords. Old school British Heavy Metal attached to some creepy keyboard tones. Surging and fading reminiscent of Led Zeppelins longer passages on House of the Holy. Something ancient, Old World and ritualistic about the song. A Hammer Horror.

A lot of different elements can also be heard stitched into Dosage. Rhythmic keyboard and guitar drone riffs. Incantatory voices and someone yells Up the dosage! Energy is generated by the swirling vortex of sound.

Knot Marquee is a fast Punk Metal thrash. The singer appears to be speed-nattering about driving the fast lane, parking, losing car keys, partying. Disciplined playing and generates energy.

Yellow Leaves starts with a rooster crow. All ingredients whipped up to a fast rhythmic attack with skillful chops. Simple riffs built up to a mantra. Guitars come in at counter-angles. Have possibly been listening to some Captain Beefheart and added amphetamine electricity. The music is not heavy or hide-bound.

Doctor Hokota is another epic. Punk Metal played at speed. The music particle accelerator throws out Sci-fi, Armageddon, tattoos and bikinis. Rapping vocals. And then sound effects taking us all the way back to the Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows!

Seven songs and a concise statement of intent. I suspect that to see them live, they will probably try and level the building. And leave you better for it.

Rev Orange Peel 
Rev Orange Peel
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