Rating: ***1/2
Rhode Island power trio Raven King are ultimately just three friends playing dark grunge rock music with lush harmonies.
Now I dug the grunge-era of rock and roll in the early 90's but it's 2018. Is this gonna be fresh enough to connect with millennials? Do they even want that? Am I too old to tell either way? These are all things that I'm considering going into listening to this thing.
I'm gonna grab some coffee, but on some flannel pajamas and see what's up with Raven King's self-titled record. Join if you'd like.
Watch the video for "Drool" on Youtube below:
Well, the first riff to "Carnival" is a classic grunge riff so that says something. The vocals are odd but fitting. It's a little Ween-ish if I'm being honest. It's a decent track. Moving on. "Drool" is their first single and it's a solid choice. It has a Local H feel to it. It sounds like early 90's rock without sounding dated if that makes sense? It doesn't does it? Track three is "Drifting" and it's got a really pretty guitar intro. Melodically it's lacking, but the chorus is solid. "Diminished" is next and it's another true-to-form grunge rocker. They are actually pretty good at treading the line of being a serious act without taking themselves too seriously. "Marble" reminds me of Ween again and that's generally a good thing. "Within Reach" is very good. More progressive metal sounding than the rest. I really like this one a lot. Time changes and catchy. This is the best song on the record. "Skins" is weird and almost completely devoid of melody. It reminds me of The Birthday Party without the unbridled mania. Track eight is "Full" and it's got a cool little Marcy Playground vibe to it. "Lost Token" rocks. It owes more to Dokken than Pearl Jam that's for sure. Really solid tune. The penultimate track is "It's Not Life" and it's dark and silly and a nice change-of-pace this late in the album. "Armilla" is the final song on the LP and it's noisy and harmonic and pretty wonderful.
Raven King are an odd study. They obviously like Ween and Nirvana, but show some love for the 80's rockers on certain tracks as well. I think fans of the grunge genre are gonna love this and most rock fans, in general, will find it enjoyable. Personally, I dug it and recommend you listen to it. So go and do that.