Band : I Killed Pharaoh

Album title : King-Hell Breakthrough

Label : Lockjaw

Distributor : Progressive Publicity

Release date : 21/04/2008

Release : CD

Based in Northampton, UK, this quartet (currently comprising singer Ven , guitarist Luka , bassist Marc and drummer Matt ) formed two years ago. Tried to get you a little more info but their official website Ikilledpharaoh.co.uk currently re-directs us to their Myspace page, so nothing doin'!

Anyways, with such nutty influences as (alphabetically) Amen , At The Drive In , Chuck Budowski , Cardiacs , Deftones , Fyodor Dostoyevsky , Faith No More , hard drugs (the fact of it, I hope, and not the experience?), Herman Hesse , Bill Hicks , Million Dead , Chris Morris , Primus , Queens Of The Stone Age , Red Snapper , Refused , Rocket From The Crypt , Snuff Box , Squarepusher , Stone Temple Pilots , The Simpsons , The Wildhearts , Hunter S. Thomson , 3 Colours Red , Tomahawk , Tool , Type O Negative , Tom Waits , and Brian Wilson , you may imagine their music to be an Alternative Rock, say "Pop Noir" of somewhat equal nutty and slightly progressive nature. The label puts it down as "uncompromising heavy alternative Rock with Punk attitude and passion...a heavyweight mix...". Early reviews have typified the album as "...Unsettling, off kilter Noir Pop – Think the darkness od Chuck Mosely period Faith No More ..." ( Subba Cultcha ), "...supremely listenable...excellent stuff..." ( Room Thirteen ), and Punkastic stated, "I expect this lot have a bright future ahead of them...", something I agree with! Even more typical than the music is the vocal delivery, which has some clear British overtones. The album recorded during June of last year with heavy-weight Rock producer Russ Russell at the knobs fell on good ears with Lockjaw , who signed the band in December of last year.

Best you now surf to myspace.com/ikp, where you can find 3 soundfiles to sample and enjoy (wacky bass parts, delicious melody lines, great typical British singing,...). According to the band, the 11 songs on the (31-minute) album tell the stories of a number of people affected by a single event, the music encompassing the many musical and literary influences that have helped slap IKP into the state they currently find themselves in. Let's hope they don't deviate into a more commercial state and continue to bring us their wonderfully nutty music. Not yet material for the year-lists, but they're darn close!

95/100

Tony.