KING HELL!—NEW YORK, NY
Who said that theater rock was dead? If it is, nobody told the guys in King Hell! from New York City. I came across these guys on reverbnation.com, and at first glance, they looked like they jumped out of the pages of a DC Comic. One of the interesting things, besides the way they looked, that drew me to King Hell! was the fact that they had two lead singers. And their music is pretty good too! The songs “Brooklyn” and “Shotgun” haven’t left my head yet. There’s also a slamming cover of the Duran Duran classic “Hungry Like the Wolf.”
Co-Singers Doc Thompson and Samwell, along with guitarist Motherfökker played music together as teenagers in Cambridge, MA. The trio shared a love for old-school metal and classic punk. The threesome relocated to New York City to form King Hell! Originally, the band was going to be called Longinus, but according to King Hell!, “Everyone thought that was a venereal disease, which is metal but not in a good way!” Rounding out the rest of King Hell! is drummer Shille-Lee and bassist Zigabot. After releasing their debut EP in 2007, the band’s NYC following grew immensely leading to bigger gigs in New England and the Tri-State area. Heading into 2009, the band began work on their first full-length CD, Rhythm And Bruise, which they would release in October 2009.
In 2010, the success of Rhythm And Bruise led to King Hell! playing three headlining shows at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, TX, and at the International Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA. King Hell! is currently immersed in writing and recording three brand new EPs that they plan to release through the summer of 2012. For more info on King Hell! or to simply hear what they sound like, log onto kinghell.net.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
The gang from Kosmic Daydream is celebrating their 10th year together as a band with a brand new 4-song EP, called Powder Fresh. The CD will be available at all upcoming Kosmic Daydream shows, but for now you can listen to “FYI,” “Other Side,” “Monkey Train” and “I Feel Cold” on kosmicdaydream.com, where you can also tune in to find out where they’re playing next.
The boys from Filter Effect have something pretty cool going on. They’re in the running to open for Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, Bullet For My Valentine and Sevendust at the upcoming Rock Star Energy Drink Uproar Festival in Camden on Aug. 26 where the tour kicks off. Here’s where Filter Effect needs your help! Log onto battle.rockstaruproar.com to vote for Filter Effect now, since there’s only one week left of voting, and help a North Jersey band out
And finally, I just got done listening to Cloak Dagger’s debut EP, Lumanji, and I have to admit that I was blown away. For those who don’t know, Cloak Dagger is actually my boy Luke Rizzo, brother of Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy guitarist Marc Rizzo. The three-song EP is quite the opposite of what older brother Marc is playing, but definitely engaging. After listening to the title track, I felt so relaxed that I thought that I was in a spa getting a massage. The next two tracks, “Ale’ Sofi” and “Argila,” have Marc playing some of his classic acoustic guitar on them, which just adds to the ambiance of the songs. If you’re looking for something really relaxing to listen to that isn’t metal, pick up Cloak Dagger’s debut EP, Lumanji, now on iTunes. For more info on Cloak Dagger, log onto facebook.com/djcloakdagger.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember: We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
8/3—Borgo Pass—The Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
8/4—Steve Brown—The Firehouse Eatery, Rahway, NJ
8/5—Cycle of Pain/Sekond Skyn—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/6—Rockin’ The Lake Festival—Elks Lodge, Pompton Lakes, NJ
8/6—Kosmic Daydream—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
8/6—Steve Brown—Grasshopper Off The Green, Morristown, NJ
8/6—King Kelly—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/8—Steve Brown—Dutchman’s, Long Beach Island, NJ
8/9—Steve Brown—The Beachcomber, Seaside Heights, NJ
8/10—Steve Brown—The Copper Bottom, Florida, NY
8/11—Downcast Theory/Volbeat—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
8/11—Steve Brown—The Firehouse Eatery, Rahway, NJ
8/12—Tied in 2—Pavilion Lounge, Budd Lake, NJ
8/13—TENPOINT—The Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
8/13—Cashmier/Knucklebone/Cinderella—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
8/13—Steve Brown—The Beachcomber, Seaside Heights, NJ
8/14—Downcast Theory—Architekt Music Studios, Butler, NJ
8/15—Steve Brown—The Beachcomber, Seaside Heights, NJ
