King Me

Checkered Past [EP] (2014)

Ricky Frankel

Midwest hardcore band, King Me have released their six—song EP, Checkered Past, on an Illinois—based label called Foxclaw Records.

Using the term "hardcore" to describe a band today seems to be a lot more common and kind of stretched at certain times. Granted, King Me is indeed a hardcore band, but they aren't hardcore in the Black Flag or Dead Kennedys sense. They fall more on the Cro—Mags part of the hardcore spectrum, right on the cusp between hardcore and thrash metal.

King Me don't play incredibly fast, short, and simple songs, instead they have put a bit more into their instrumentation. Take the song "Lead" for example, there is a high note—intense guitar introduction that you don't hear too often from a hardcore band. There are also some pretty cool descending guitar fills and bends throughout the song, until the pretty intense bass—centric break down that brings this band back to seeming like they are more of a metal band.

Another cool song on this EP is called "Poor Sick Fuck." This track is filled with a lot of fast strumming of low—pitched chords right from the start. The lead vocalist, sings in a deeper tone is fairly, too (again more characteristics of a thrash metal or metal band than a hardcore band). There are also great guitar harmonics used as fills and some great use of call and response vocals as well.

It's interesting to listen to a band that can't definitively decide what sub—genre to be categorized under and that's what makes them unique. King Me clearly has been influenced by a bunch of subgenres. If you are looking for a traditional hardcore sound, this EP may not be for you, but if you want a thrash metal/metal kind of sound definitely give it a listen.