Kings and Liars – Transition Animals
Release Date: 28th January 2022
Label: Salt of the Earth Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Hard Rock, Metal.
FFO: The Black Album, Dehumanizer, Dirt, Bad Motorfinger, Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour, Soundgarden.
Review By: Jordan Burton-Morris
Connecticut-based hard rock juggernaut Kings and Liars, featuring brothers Charlie and Nick Bellmore and Christopher Taylor Beaudette, will release their new album, Transition Animals, via Salt of the Earth Records.
Compared to previous releases, Transition Animals sees a more streamlined band returning to the spotlight as a three-piece, hell-bent on delivering some heavy as all hell, well-crafted, songs. The members of the band share international notoriety as members of some severely ass-kicking bands, such as Kingdom Of Sorrow, The Dee Snider Band, Jasta, Entierro, and Toxic Holocaust to name a few. The album has 8 tracks, which clock in at around 30 minutes. 2 of these are currently released as singles – anthemic opener Hang On For Dear Life, and Soundgarden inspired number We Are Alive.
The Desperate One has a mean, gnarly riff to start it off, and is sprinkled with pulsating grooves and a some tight harmonies. The effect used on the fadeout here is a little weird, but still an enjoyable track.
Start The Ceremony has strong lyrics and a stronger minor scale feel to it. The drum fills here are metronomic and impressive, and the wah tainted guitar solo is excellent. A more melodic solo might have been a slightly better fit in my opinion, but it’s a great solo nonetheless.
Conquering The Fear is a more heartfelt number, with every word of the chorus being belted. The contrast between the heaviness of the chorus and the calmed vibe of the verse blend really nicely here. I can imagine this one going down really well in a live setting.
Say starts off as an acoustic ballad, but soon enough the distorted guitars are here, and even some vocal growls! There’s a little whiff of Five Finger Death Punch here, but not enough to be distracting.
Penultimate track, and R.E.M cover, The One I Love, really changes thing up, with a heavy technical riff starting us off, then disappearing for an acoustic guitar. The chorus sees the return of the distortion and a well-executed twin vocal line. A very fitting melodic solo tops this off nicely! Great cover!
Finally, we have closer Never Take Your Crown, the final 3 minutes of the album. It starts off acoustic and melodic, with two separate vocal lines which are very effective. This is definitely another member of the band providing the second line. This song is perfect to end the album due to its calming vibe. Bursts of distortion are heard throughout. With less loud instruments, this gives the vocals a chance to shine, and oh they do. The best vocal performance by far and a very nice key change right at the end!
Overall, this album is solid with a few different techniques sprinkled through, although, the songs do feel quite similar at times. The album’s short, 30-minute runtime helps, though, so thankfully, it doesn’t become an endurance test.
(4 / 5)
