Kodiak Jack: Alhambra

You may not know their name but there's a fair chance (depending on where you live), what with the likes of Eurosport and Metal Hammer (Europe) using their songs, that you've heard the sounds of the UK's Kodiak Jack. So how would you know if, unwittingly, you've stumbled across KJ? Well factor in some thundering riffs, catchy hooks, choruses that stick in the mind and vocals which fall the right side of aggressive and you'll pretty much nail what this young bunch are all about.

The five-piece put out there debut, Your Death: My Glory, back in 2011 to the sounds of approval, but with Tesla's Brian Wheat manning the production desk for album number two and guiding the boys through the recording process, the results are a slow grower of an album which still slaps you about the chops on first encounter. If you're looking for sound pointers, well the commercial Grungiality of Stone Temple Pilots is never far away, but then (possibly through Wheat's hand) neither is a rough Rockin' Blues surge. Add an amount of Clutch like dirt under the fingernails that proves KJ say what they mean and mean what they shout ,and the mix on Alhambra becomes one which will appeal to anyone who counts themselves as being "into" proper, serious Rock.

"La Rue" hits like an upbeat strut of Alice In Chains meets Tesla, while "Coming Home" reveals the patience to work through a slow build and ensure the results still stick in the mind. A rumble of drums introduces the dancing riff and slicing guitar motif of "Waves", vocalist Bryn Roberts combining a throaty gruffness with a cutting clean edge which elevates a memorable chorus, while "No Surrender" injects a more hyperactive groove and bounce into the more commercially dissatisfied "More Than This". However if you want a quick snap introduction to Kodiak Jack, then I'd suggest the gargantuan riff-bass trade off of "Brother" may well be the place to start.

Three years of honing their sound and slowly picking up attention from various quarters appears to have done Kodiak Jack the world of good. The impressive, varied, yet focused Alhambra is the proof.

Track Listing
1. Get Out Alive
2. Brother
3. Wasted Youth
4. More Than This
5. Crossfire
6. THEM
7. No Surrender
8. Waves
9. Live To Fight
10. La Rue
11. Coming Home

Added: June 4th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Kodiak Jack online
Hits: 1982
Language: english

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