Review: King Sans ‘Sell The Cow’
King Sans, a new outfit from Chicago, Illinois are Jake Steven James (guitars/synths/vocals) and Izabella Rose (drums/vocals). Leading up to their full-length debut Sell The Cow, the duo put out a series of singles as well as two non-album tracks, Tainted Further and From The Ashes.
The album is released by Dipterid Records, which caught my attention due to the label’s work with Denude, All Structures Align and Volk Soup; the duo are evidently in great company.
Izabellastates that ‘the process of writing and putting together our debut album has been one of the greatest experiences of my life to date’ and I’m very hopeful that my review will do it justice.
Opener Two Figures features wonderful Swans-style tribal drumming and a moody atmospheric backdrop, such as can be found on Samhain’s Unholy Passion EP, which saw Glenn Danzig evolving away from the cartoonish fun of The Misfits to more serious gothic territory. The perfect atmospheric opener.
Jumpstart sees Izabella and Jake trading squeals, shouts and screams with some psychobilly vibes giving it a sound as if The Cramps are put through a post-punk filter. The track’s manic energy and youthful enthusiasm is what makes it such a joy to listen to. Let Me Lie is Ministry Filth Pig-era industrial sludge (the basslines are especially reminiscent of that record) and frantic noise-rock ala Lightning Bolt. Surprisingly, despite not being a fan of the latter, this combination works well together.
Stonefed seemingly takes its cues from dance-punk, though thankfully is as far removed from Q and not U and The Gossip as you can get. There’s a lot more bite here and lacking hipster indie pretensions, especially when you consider the track’s grim political lyrical subject matter. Dienen is post-Helmet ‘90s alt-metal, the down-tuned guitars and dark tones not overly dissimilar to what Korn produced at that time. I haven’t listened to or engaged with ‘nu-metal’ for over two decades, but this did afford a fun nostalgic nod to my teen years.
manic energy and youthful enthusiasm is what makes it such a joy to listen to…
Lasting Hold is a track which features some quite extraordinary dynamics; there’s gorgeously produced neo-folk as well as crushing post-metal of which Neurosis’ Steve Von Till would be proud, meanwhile S.Y.D. is a wonderfully eccentric piece which comes across like Danny Elfman fronting The Melvins with a little Sparks-style glammy bombast slipped in for good measure.
Liar! is the shortest track on the album at a mere minute and a half and has a bluesy stoner rock vibe, akin to a much more engaging Clutch, but minus some of the ZZ Top tedium that has dulled that band’s impact in the latter phase of their career. The Floodplain changes things up significantly with its samples of nature, acoustic guitar and beautifully harmonic singing by the duo, demonstrating that there’s far more to King Sans than meets the eye.
Alan Vega’s fondness for classic rock ‘n’ roll is what comes to mind on No Diddley; the track too utilises the tropes of the genre but deliciously twists them into something far nastier, as indeed did Suicide. The band show off their talents yet further by incorporating a piano passage by Mozart at the start of Sold, which then unfolds into an unsettling post-industrial soundscape in the fashion of NIN and Foetus. A harrowing conclusion to the record.
Sell The Cow will shut down any baby boomer pub bore who insists that no new music has been made since Joy Division, a stunning start to a hopefully lengthy music career.
Label: Dipterid Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
