Dropped the ska for Fun, Upbeat, Boston Hardcore to Kick you In The Head
Written: Jul 12 '02 (Updated Jul 16 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: great guitar work and vocals, intense live show. Not your average hardcore band.
Cons: They don't come to FL enough
The Bottom Line: This album is awesome, evolving their sound from ska to more hardcore. Tons of great music never leaves Boston, hopefully these guys can make a name outside.
PezKing's Full Review: Thick as Thieves by Kicked In The Head
Once again, and band I reviewed in an editorial nearly a year ago now has had their CD re-issued by Resurrection A.D. Records. Some good things are coming from this label, go check them out.
So much good music is coming from Boston these days, and all the bands I've met seem to be extremely nice. I first heard Kicked In The Head when I set up a show for them in Ocala, with my friends, the Spitvalves. That show led to the two bands becoming close friends, and KITH getting signed to the same label as the Spitvalves.
Kicked In The Head put on a great performance, that night. Though the club was small, and the stage was almost floor level, there was a huge turnout. No one had ever really heard the band before, but we got past that with the band’s high-energy music, anthemic songs, and on stage antics. There were plenty of opportunities where they would introduce a song, and assure us that we would be able to shout the course after a minute, and they were right. The horn section, two trombone players, runs all over the stage. One trombonist is also the lead singer, and the other one will sometimes switch to play rhythm guitar. When they come together to play trombone side by side, it’s like a hardcore blast in your face. The way they swing their horns all over the place reminds me of Vinny Nobile, of the Pilfers. The singer slightly resembles Youth Of Today’s Ray Cappo, and he has similar stage presence, leaping and shouting about.
Though they get pegged as a ska band, there are really only two songs on the CD with a ska vibe. With the addition of trombones, and a bit of funk guitar/bass, this is mostly straight up old school NYHC. The guitar has the colorful tone to it, but also crunches along. But the coolest part of the guitar is how they mix in AC/DC style riffs and short solos, a lot like legndary Boston hardcore band Slapshot (who's song "Punk's Dead, You're Next" is where KITH get their name from).
The lead vocals come in quick bursts of intensity. They remind me of H2O a bit, but higher pitched, and angrier. Sometimes they are reminesient of "Fight For Your Right" style Beastie Boys, which makes perfect sense, seeing as how the Beastie Boys started off as a hardcore punk band. There are lots of back up vocals, melodic on some songs, and youth crew shouts on other songs. The horns rarely come into the foreground, more often just accenting the riff, and making it harder. Lyrically, the CD covers standing up for yourself, stress, getting caught in a tight spot, recvoering from betrayal.
When listening to the CD the first time, I immediately recognized a few songs from the show. Like “Breakdown” with a more hardcore assault, where they implore you to “open your eyes, open you mouth, open your ears” which while not the most original sentiment, gets your blood pumping with the whole gang shouting. The end of the song blurs wonderfully with the singer shouting a different line than the gang.
Then comes one of the best songs on the CD, “Lost Cause.” another one of the songs that stood out most from the show. With it’s insanely catchy chorus and strong guitar groove, reinforced by the duel trombone blast. That guitar/trombone groove is so catchy, it gets stuck in my head all the time.
They indulge their metal side with “Deep, Down and Dirty.” You might think you’re listening to new Suicidal Tendencies at first. It kicks off with strong funk bass, goes metal crunch and then atmospheric melodic metal, to hardcore breakdowns and chants.
They do show a lighter side with "Fix My Sink," a fast ska-punk number, ranting about a landlord. Every song on here is great, and you'll be able to sing along quickly. The re-issue has two additional songs that I haven't heard yet, "Cannonball" and "Us Against The World." The combination of intense vocals and amazing guitar work make this such a great disc. It's hard, but the creative playing, solos, and melody prevent it from becoming monotonous.
You can check them out on mp3.com, but if you want to hear something funny, go to their old label's site, www.forkinhand.com and download some songs from their first album. You can see how they've progressed from a goofy immature ska band, to a more intense and relevant hardcore band. And by all measn, if you live in the northeast, go catch them live. They play MA, NJ, NY, and surrounding areas all the time.
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