Review Summary: Even in the 90's, the march of the prog dinosaur continues.
King Crimson's second re-emergence after their parting of ways following
Three of a Perfect Pair was again as an odd ensemble: the so-called double trio. Chapman stick player Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto were added to the four remaining members of Crimson's 80's era, and as such, there were now two guitarists (Fripp/Belew), two bass/stick players (Levin/Gunn) and two drummers (Bruford/Mastelotto) in the group. The only studio outcome of this particular ensemble is 1995's
THRAK, which logically carried the potential to open up new possibilites for King Crimson.
Although the whole double trio concept great, it doesn't show throughout the record as we would like it to, but neither does it feel as if there's too many musicians for one record. What is a direct result of the larger occupation is that
THRAK is Crimson's heaviest and most dense record up to that point. Opener
VROOM is an immediate example of this. With its menacing riffs and clanging percussion, it is another instrumental that is uniquely King Crimson, but even heavier than usual. Instrumentals are abound here, and
THRAK both starts and ends with two of them, the two closing parts
VROOM VROOM and
VROOM VROOM: Coda being similar in title and style to the opener. These instrumentals are for the most part quite satisfiyng, but he two minute-long interludes
Radio, Pt. 1 and
Radio, Part 2 don't make so much as dent in the album. When it comes to instrumentals, however, the prime moment for this record is
B'boom, a drum duet which most effectively shows the idea of the double trio.
Most of the vocal tracks equally subject to the heaviness.
Dinosaur, the real highlight here, is another fine example of time and mood changes that have become a signature of the band, and Belew is, vocally and lyrically, quite in his element, as he possibly comments on the bands second resurface despite their increasing age:
'I'm a dinosaur, somebody is digging my bones'. Speaking of Belew, it is he who gets an extra chance to shine on a few occasions, as while
THRAK may be so dense, it still makes some room for lighter songs.
Walking on Air (which may even ever so slightly remind of Crimson's earlier calm tracks such as
I Talk to the Wind) and
One Time are more proof that the group's frontman still takes his lead role very seriously. The most disturbing track here is
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, which perfectly complements its title in sounding very mechanic.
King Crimson's 90's formation prove to create a positively dense sound, and
THRAK shows that a group that broke up two seperate times can still impress. This record, although quite good, does not have anything that makes it stand out between more essential entries such as
Larks' Tongues in Aspic or
Discipline, but of course, King Crimson creatively peaked some time ago already. It's a small miracle that even until the 90's, they could still deliver. Another worthy entry for the group that never quite was like any other.
THRAK's King Crimson was:
- Robert Fripp ~ Lead Guitar, Mellotron
- Robert Steven ‘Adrian’ Belew ~ Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
- Tony Levin ~ Bass Guitar, Chapman Stick, Electric Upright Bass, Backing Vocals
- Trey Gunn ~ Chapman Stick, Backing Vocals
- William Scott Bruford ~ Drums, Percussion
- Lee Patrick 'Pat' Mastelotto ~ Drums, Percussion
TO BE CONTINUED...
