North Carolina-based act Kinsley comes at us with a new extended play called DEMONS, and it’s definitely got a lot going on. Taking cues from horror movie scores, William Blake, and even Psalm 34, the EP features a familiar gothic, theatrical vibe now refurbished with more focus on polish, synths, and heavier riffs that manage to bridge the gap between experimental and infectious as compared to their prior releases spanning the last eight years, veteran-style.
In regards to the production, this project sounds huge, and I admittedly first listened to track 1 and personal favourite “Ruin” on full volume, unaware that within fifteen seconds after hitting Play that I would be pummeled by distressed djent riffs that could give acts like Code Orange a run for their money, paired with the bass hits that oddly sound like they’re straight of the breakthrough The Weeknd track The Hills, leaving me in a flurry but with my arm extending to give a thumbs up. The mix between the three tracks is slick, crisp, and borderline over-the-top, with every element feeling otherworldly and cataclysmic from the soaring guitar riffs to the lush synths to the vocals which while muffled, still presents a form of clarity that is extremely commendable. This EP is an absolute wall of sound and it’s a sturdy one at that.
There’s also the matter of the songwriting, wherein things get a little murky on my end, but I will admit that given my ears are not all too quick on the draw when it comes to picking up the vocal complexities when it comes to the delivery in regards to metal songs, I’ll personally cop to a grain of salt to them. I did do my best, and this EP merits that.
To my understanding, the opening track “Ruin” is a short story of sorts wherein God and Satan are just vibing, watching the whole human race fall for their own amusement. Then there’s “Possession,” which is for lack of a better turn of phrase, a nauseating, confessional exploration of addiction, and it’s raw. You can almost feel the weight of it all collapsing in on itself right through your eardrums like a burrowing drill of sorts. The whole song just combusts, carrying a sense of desperation like someone trying to escape a cycle they can’t control. Last track “Exorcism” runs like an intense cry for redemption and while the emotionality is palpable, it does feel like a cliffhanger. Like the EP could go on longer and in a macabre way, I would like it to, but it feels more like a taste of what’s to come and well, between bouncing at Hillsborough and Raleigh, North Carolina to craft this trifecta of tracks from two elder statesmen of this genre that is unapologetically heavy, dark, and downright uncomfortable in the best ways possible, I can be brought onboard.
If you’re into anything that revels in the method just as much as the madness, DEMONS might do the trick. Though for a group like Kinsley, I personally hope there’s more to come. If these are the DEMONS, I can’t wait for the rest of the monsters to come forth.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for publications in the US and former lead writer of Atop The Treehouse. Reviews music, film and TV shows for media aggregators.
