KRENSHAW - LAZY I
Thunder Steak Records - 2001
By James O'Toole
Krenshaw are an American band based in San Jose in California who formed in mid 1999. Krenshaw are a five piece band with a lineup of two guitarists, bassist, drummer and vocalist.
They list their influences as Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, The Melvins, Kyuss, Helmet, Alice In Chains and Monster Magnet and some of these influences are more noticeable than others.
Opening track Diminished Half sets the tone for most of this demo. It is a slow, guitar driven track with vocals at times very reminiscent of Layne Staley from Alice In Chains. Krenshaw vocalist Kelly D has a drawling delivery which is very similar to Staley's often copied vocal style.
Krenshaw's sound musically is a combination of all of their influences and tends toward slower and mid paced guitar driven music with drawn out, melancholy vocals floating over top. Dark stoner rock with nu metal elements would be one way to describe Krenshaw. They manage to achieve the difficult task of playing slower material and keep it interesting throughout. There are plenty of places where the plodding riffs give way to more subtle melodic guitar and there is lots of space which keeps the songs from sounding too alike. Diminished Half slugs along for three minutes then hits you with an unexpected faster midsection driven by toms and kick drum which then breaks back out to the slower main riff.
F.M.O. is a change of pace where Krenshaw pick up the tempo and it works well after the previous five tracks, which are all mid tempo or slower numbers. Highlights of Lazy I are opener Diminished Half, fifth track F.M.O. and eighth track Breathe. Final track Lost shows a more aggressive side of Krenshaw with some forceful vocals through the choruses and a couple of musical changes of pace thrown in to keep things interesting. The vocals also sound more original on this track which shows Krenshaw have the potential to create their own distinct sound when they choose to branch away from the formula they employ on most of the album.
On first listen I thought this demo was quite derivative of the aforementioned influences and there was not a lot that stood out. However repeated listening does reveal there is more to Lazy I than first greets the ear and this is a very enjoyable CD as long as you aren't expecting to be blown away by a band playing something really groundbreaking. The production on Lazy I is of a very high standard and will help the band to impress first time listeners. My main criticism of this release is that Krenshaw do sound a lot like Alice In Chains even after repeated listening. This is not an entirely bad thing - if you like Alice In Chains you will probably like Krenshaw. If Krenshaw can further define their own unique sound rather than relying on their influences they could be a great band as opposed to just a good band. It will be interesting to see where they are another year from now. Even though there are the comparisons with bands who have come before Krenshaw pull off this style very well and deserve a listen. Krenshaw have a well organised website at www.krenshaw.com where you can find out more about the band, download mp3 files of their music and follow a link to purchase this CD. Worth a look if you enjoy this style of music.
6.5/10
Thunder Steak Records - 2001
By James O'Toole
Krenshaw are an American band based in San Jose in California who formed in mid 1999. Krenshaw are a five piece band with a lineup of two guitarists, bassist, drummer and vocalist.
They list their influences as Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, The Melvins, Kyuss, Helmet, Alice In Chains and Monster Magnet and some of these influences are more noticeable than others.
Opening track Diminished Half sets the tone for most of this demo. It is a slow, guitar driven track with vocals at times very reminiscent of Layne Staley from Alice In Chains. Krenshaw vocalist Kelly D has a drawling delivery which is very similar to Staley's often copied vocal style.
Krenshaw's sound musically is a combination of all of their influences and tends toward slower and mid paced guitar driven music with drawn out, melancholy vocals floating over top. Dark stoner rock with nu metal elements would be one way to describe Krenshaw. They manage to achieve the difficult task of playing slower material and keep it interesting throughout. There are plenty of places where the plodding riffs give way to more subtle melodic guitar and there is lots of space which keeps the songs from sounding too alike. Diminished Half slugs along for three minutes then hits you with an unexpected faster midsection driven by toms and kick drum which then breaks back out to the slower main riff.
F.M.O. is a change of pace where Krenshaw pick up the tempo and it works well after the previous five tracks, which are all mid tempo or slower numbers. Highlights of Lazy I are opener Diminished Half, fifth track F.M.O. and eighth track Breathe. Final track Lost shows a more aggressive side of Krenshaw with some forceful vocals through the choruses and a couple of musical changes of pace thrown in to keep things interesting. The vocals also sound more original on this track which shows Krenshaw have the potential to create their own distinct sound when they choose to branch away from the formula they employ on most of the album.
On first listen I thought this demo was quite derivative of the aforementioned influences and there was not a lot that stood out. However repeated listening does reveal there is more to Lazy I than first greets the ear and this is a very enjoyable CD as long as you aren't expecting to be blown away by a band playing something really groundbreaking. The production on Lazy I is of a very high standard and will help the band to impress first time listeners. My main criticism of this release is that Krenshaw do sound a lot like Alice In Chains even after repeated listening. This is not an entirely bad thing - if you like Alice In Chains you will probably like Krenshaw. If Krenshaw can further define their own unique sound rather than relying on their influences they could be a great band as opposed to just a good band. It will be interesting to see where they are another year from now. Even though there are the comparisons with bands who have come before Krenshaw pull off this style very well and deserve a listen. Krenshaw have a well organised website at www.krenshaw.com where you can find out more about the band, download mp3 files of their music and follow a link to purchase this CD. Worth a look if you enjoy this style of music.
6.5/10
