Friday, August 1, 2014

KXM: "Gunfight"

My buddy Mike Froedge mentioned in passing one day that I should listen to KXM, so I filed in the back of my mind that I'd get around to it at first opportunity. Then I heard it was George Lynch's new band and thought I best make time! Turns out KXM is not only Lynch, but Ray Luzier (drummer for Korn) and dUg Pinnick (bass/vocals for King's X).

Note to self: When Froedge says listen, do it.

The first song I heard was by way of their video for the song "Gunfight". I'll review that song/video here and review the new self-titled full-length album soon (and we'll also feature an interview with George Lynch).

The song opens with a funky 3/4 groove that doubles down to a 6/4 verse (yeah, you've already got my attention!)....all with Ray playing like his life depends on it, dUg holding down the fort, and George building the tension until the chorus, which features George playing it minimalist but oh so cool. dUg is clearly pissed off - between the lyrics, his vocal approach, and his "end the Fed" t-shirt seen in the video, he clearly has an axe to grind.

The video is stylish and shows us "President Pinnick" and Ray & George as his Secret Service bodyguards during the "theatrical" scenes, alternating quickly between those shots and a mix of performance footage and sparse shots of media footage of riots and similar brutality.

Great groove, interesting changes, fantastic instrumental performances from all the players, great vocal...and one of the most bad-ass guitar riffs of recent history.

This song is a keeper. I'll give it a 9 out of 10 stars on our Rock-o-Meter for sure!




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