Like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, The Kings of Frog Island herald the rising of their merciless master: the dark lord of deathly stoner jams. ‘III’ goes about extending the legacy of satanic-psyche rock in its own uniquely demonic way, making the finale to the KOFI trilogy a must have for fans.
‘III’ is more subtle and developing of its diamond-in-the-rough stoner revelations. Starting life as a jam between drummer Roger “Dodge” Watson and guitarist Mark Buteux, this record is centred o...
Like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, The Kings of Frog Island herald the rising of their merciless master: the dark lord of deathly stoner jams. ‘III’ goes about extending the legacy of satanic-psyche rock in its own uniquely demonic way, making the finale to the KOFI trilogy a must have for fans.
‘III’ is more subtle and developing of its diamond-in-the-rough stoner revelations. Starting life as a jam between drummer Roger “Dodge” Watson and guitarist Mark Buteux, this record is centred on a rock & roll rhythm trip. As such, you’re slightly harder pressed for those emphatically prolonged stoner jaunts of old. The tracks ‘More Than I Should Know’ and ‘A Cruel Wind Blows’ have a sound contrary to previous output, but as ever, when it comes to crunch time, KOFI deliver.
‘Glebe Street Whores’ sets off proceedings with an immaculately paced driving desert rock sound. The following track, ‘Bride of Suicide,’ continues the stripped down back-to-basics desert rock theme, invaded by the first murmurs of a doom tone. Heavy psychedelic influences feature strongly too, with ‘The Keeper Of…’ and ‘Ode to Baby Jane’ both greatly hypnotic tracks.
‘A Cruel Wind Blows’ starts with some out-of-place acoustic noodling and softly sung vocals by a singer not heard on any other track. A medieval-sounding guitar part marks Bethancourt’s beckoning Sabbath-style unleash, with hauntingly tinny vocals. “The Devil calls me to her breast” is rife with the stoner musk of a band still very much cranking out their best. Try also ‘Gallowtree Gate’ on for size: the doomly riff and war drums ceremoniously call the bands sound-sampled end to a royal execution, hanging. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
