Deep in the South Wales Valleys, something unnatural has been lurking for the past few years. At first there were just reports of the odd sighting, usually at night, in dark and mysterious locations. Luminous green with ten legs and arms, talk was of an ocean dwelling beast that had adapted to living on land. As time passed, the beast became bolder, venturing out at dusk and even during the day. As word spread, the beast was seen further afield, Birmingham, Bradford and Middlesbrough amongst the locations reported. before it was forced back into their lair by the pandemic. Earlier this year the beast resurfaced in Birmingham and then Ibiza, dispelling the belief that it was unable to tolerate sunlight.
Welcome to King Kraken, a gnarly creature formed in 2019, the bastard offspring of a whole plethora of bands on the local scene. With the dust settling on the post pandemic world and people emerging blinking into the light again, the Kraken has accelerated its plans and a debut album looms large on the horizon. MCLXXX will be released in late January 2023, and the band has been busy scheming, with several singles from the album due to arrive on a staggered schedule over the next few months.
The first single due to arrive on Halloween is apt. “Haddonfield ’78”, as horror fans will be only too eager to point out, is a track that references the film Halloween, and the story of Michael Myers. It’s a dark track, combining the swagger of Clutch that runs through the band’s sound with a plethora of other influences, from Hendrix to Jinjer.
It opens with a huge riff, medium tempo, and chilling lyrics. The band have captured the sinister atmosphere of the subject matter with aplomb. You can sense the unease as vocalist Mark Donoghue roars “Man behind the mask, Shape of things to come”. It’s a relentless heavy metal barrage, underpinned by the trademark melody that Kraken bring to their music.
Halfway through and things become even more unnerving. The tension builds as Karl Meyer’s bass throbs and there is the unnerving sound of heavy breathing. “I’m gonna come for you” screams Donoghue before Adam Healy unleashes an explosive solo that slashes harder and faster than Myers’ blade. Soon the race is over, you cannot escape.
It’s a majestic start to a campaign which is likely to push the band higher up the ladder. Having already been played on Kerrang! Radio and with much more to come, King Kraken are a band to watch.
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Haddonfield ’78 is out on October 31st
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an amazing review of our 1st single from the album, thanks very much to the whole moshville team for this
Paul did all the hard work but we’ll happily share the praise!