REVIEW: King Hit the Queen – Time Flies [EP/2015]
Artist: King Hit the Queen
Album: Time Flies – EP
You’re not the same person you were ten years ago–or even ten months, weeks or days ago. Time has a way of changing just about everything: it’s one of very few natural forces that pushes forward, carrying on no matter what; after all, there’s a reason it earned itself a spot as one of life’s constants (right next to death, taxes and change). With that in mind, from time to time I like to think back about myself and my music tastes in my early adolescence. Would the kid vibing to Blink 182, Minor Threat and Alien Ant Farm be into the hyper heavy or intensely energetic hardcore and deathcore of today? Maybe not–but he without a doubt would love the latest EP from Toowoomba’s thunderous offering to hardcore, King Hit the Queen. Frantically furious and powerfully passionate, King Hit the Queen’s Time Flies is a marvelous mixture of melodic hardcore and murderous, raunchy metalcore with a flair for energy and catchiness that only Australia can produce. In short, Time Flies is a timeless testament to a prodigally talented band that will be sweeping scenes across the country in seconds flat.
On one hand, King Hit the Queen are a captivating, heart-rending tour-de-force. Time Flies is home to pummeling hardcore energy infused with moments of transient, ambient harmony that break down the listener’s defenses only to flood their soul with boundless passion so pure, it would make The Rock cry tears of joy. “Leith Crescent” sees percussionist Jaydon Johnston pounding away behind the kit, beating as strong and fiercely as a Clydesdale’s heart–pumping fresh, hot blood and life into King Hit the Queen’s sound–in the form of guitarists Jake Birss and Sam Esselink’s immense fretwork. Birss and Esselink are the essence of Time Flies, the lifeforce that floods the listener’s ears and paints immense soundscapes of serenity and sincerity. Together with bassist Ben Cheeseman, Birss and Esselink create deep, churning chasms of turbulent melody that soak the listener, setting the mood for the harsh and heart-rending screams of vocalist Jarod Knox. “Leith Crescent,” along with “Hopeless,” sees Knox using a shrill scream and sheer honesty to reach through the gaping holes Johnston and Cheeseman have punched in the listener’s chest to squeeze at their heart.
However, King Hit the Queen are far from a one trick pony. While Knox’s vocals lend themselves well to an emotionally immersive experience, and the combo of Birss/Esselink is more than capable of crafting beautiful and serene soundscapes, the band is still capable of getting as raunchy and heavy as the tongue-in-cheek violence in their name might imply. “Aspect Street” is home to incredible energy and punchy percussion–even by Johnston’s already jarring standard–and crushing, chug heavy fretwork that has no problem caving the listener’s skull in. Meanwhile, Knox’s harsh, grating yells and bitter screams are brilliant in a whole new light–not simply passionate and emotive, they are punishing, gouging huge holes in the listener’s eardrums with each sinisterly spat syllable. “Aspect Street,” as well as “Hopeless” and “Awake” sees King Hit the Queen doing exactly what Australians seem to do best–getting bare-knuckle-brutal on the listener and bludgeoning them into submission with harsh riffs, heavy breakdowns and hectic grooves.
Prominent passion and cutthroat aggression swirl in a calculated and captivating dialectic on King Hit The Queen’s Time Flies. The band are practical acrobats, balancing the voice of the head and the pulse of the heart with brilliant expertise. “Time Flies” is the proof—the culmination of the bands two distinct “modes” into a track that truly deserves to serve as the EP’s title song. Home to a fluid soundscape that roams from ethereal heights to abyssal, crushing lows, King Hit the Queen cradle the listener’s heart with the care of a mother holding a newborn one second, only to crush it without relent or remorse the next. It’s moments like the climax found within “Time Flies” that separate King Hit the Queen from a great bulk of 2000-something metalcore acts—a crushing combination of creativity, passion and malice that is so contagious, it ought to have a vaccine dedicated to it.
As time passes and days grow into weeks that mature into months and years, what will you remember? What idylls and objects from your youth will you carry with you into old age? If you’re a fan of any manner of aggressive or intense music, King Hit the Queen’s Time Flies will certainly be among them. Raw, relentless and ruthlessly catchy, Time Flies will become your go-to album and will be on repeat before you know it.
9/10
For Fans Of: Seconds Alive, Sirena, HRBRS, SAVIOUR
By: Connor Welsh
