The outer realms of heavy music are known more for muscle than melody, for power rather than poise; it is both rock and a hard place. A very hard place indeed. But veteran NYC bassist Doug Berns, with his twin loves of, on the one hand, funk, jazz, and afro-beat, on the other pummelling metal, has managed to marry these two worlds.
KTHRTK’s debut is brutal, an onslaught of 7-string guitar salvos, pounding backbeats and relentless bass lines, screamo deliveries, and thunderous choruses. But this is married by unexpected melody, addictiveness beyond the genre’s usual testosterone-fuelled power trips, poignant musical interludes to match the soaring highs, on-off dynamics, and some infectious moves and grooves.
Hard and heavy? Certainly. But it is only someone with a well-rounded musical education and experience, such as Doug’s, that can finely balance all the musical elements to make something like this work so well. Of course, it will appeal to those already secure in their rock and metal allegiance, but KTHRTK will undoubtedly prove to be one of those rare bands which appeal to those outside the genre, proof that even something as long in the tooth as rock music still has plenty to say and new places to go.
