i Killed Pharaoh @ The Pitz
19/04/08
One Lockjaw band that I have seen before are “i Killed Pharaoh” , though back then they seemed a little stiff in the Musatronic days. Now we can gladly see that it isn’t the case this time, the guys are relaxed, rather jovial and sporting jerseys. The operatic vocals are the first thing to strike out during their set, leaping up and down alongside toned riffs, thundering drums and a pace that borderlines between the steady and the uneasy.
One of the key elements in iKP’s sound that I absolutely love are their use of slap bass, hammering along some lines that create some interesting and unsettling rhythmic devices that create the basis for many of their songs, bodging together a blend of funk and angsty dischordance that seems fairly fresh compared to the usual sound in their chosen genre.
“Did I Ever Mention Policy?” includes those riotous riffs with the aforementioned doo-wop basslines, forming hooks along a foreboding melody filled with sparse riffs, the whole track teetering on a loose edge towards the end. “Septombre” fit’s into a similar niche, though the angst is turned up a few notches as melancholy harmonies and off-key guitar drag out a foreboding, decadent and raw melody.
Then we have “Upstaged” that finishes things off with a much more mainstream funk-metal feel, even capturing a few sounds akin to an early RHCP before a descending breakdown puts the set to rest. It seems that while they have mellowed between songs, their material has really developed and they are devoting the energy to what matters, substance over style.
Craig \m/
