Review: King Of None ‘In The Realm’
Straight out of the bat, this is a damn fine album. The early riffs that come blaring out of the opening track Speeder Approaching indicate that this is going to be one hell of ride from Finnish stoner rock group King of None, and it doesn’t disappoint.
They have nine songs full of well-crafted riffs and melodies and the result is controlled chaos and mayhem spread across an album that the band are extremely proud of.
The songs themselves are very unique in their sound, with lots of different moods and emotions, Low ‘n’ Slow has a great upbeat tempo and then you have the expressive seven-minute plus of DPD which has a rawness to it, especially on the vocal from Miiro Kärki.
The four-piece began their journey back in 2013, and their signature sound of fusing heavy riffs with raspy vocals and psychedelic soundscapes has seen the band release three EPs, with In The Realm being their debut album, and still maintaining that sound.
The wonderful Thousand Lightyears Stare is a great example of where they are as a band. It flows along so smoothly and yet sounds both fresh and new, before they delve back into their earlier ways, with some dirty stoner riffs from Juha Pääkkö on Lizards For Brains as it’s a real head-shaker and another gem of a song.
fusing heavy riffs with raspy vocals and psychedelic soundscapes…
The way they move with effortless ease between genres is a testament to the band as a whole, with Patrick Enckell on drums and Juho Aarnio on bass, both giving a solid rhythm foundation for the progressive influences to glide across the songs of a consistently high standard. The dreamy riff on For The Ride showcases the stoner rock attitude that flows from the band that is also evident on the opening to Snail Trail.
I particularly enjoy their progressive side coming out again during The Man. It combines so well with the psychedelic sound that you are made to feel like you are floating high up into space with this as a soundtrack pushing you to higher levels. They finish with another burst of energy that is Crab Nebula and it perfectly encapsulates their sound to round off the album.
It’s an ambitious album from the quartet and with a challenging production, it has clearly pushed them further and harder than ever before, but they’ve passed this initial test with flying colours and hopefully they will start to captivate attention on a global scale in the not-too-distant future.
Label: Argonauta Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
