Review Summary: Edgy just got a band name.
Some things in life can really make you sit back and wonder “why?” You’ll come across genuinely amazing Musicians and Artists that create extremely innovative and interesting music that move a genre to the next level, something really different and ahead of the time. Thing is, these bold artists are normally the starving musician looking for their big break, which half the time never happens.
Every now and then you come across a buzz, the latest “it” band. You’ll flick through a magazine, see a music video on the TV or find articles on the internet on the “hot new band”. You’ll then listen to the band everybody is talking about and be blown away by just how plain, bland or unoriginal they are and you’ll just muse on how they got that kind of deal when really great music doesn’t get a look in.
In 2014 that band is King 810 and their debut album is called Memoirs of Murder. From the moment the opening track, originally titled “Killem All”, kicks in your initial thought is how it sounds like an album that was released 15 years ago. Furthermore you'll be in utter shock by just how badly these guys rip-off Slipknot; from the pounding metallic sound of the drums, the chugging guitars and, the biggest giveaway, in the Corey style vocals. Sure, a band can rip-off another bands sound, or even sound like a throwback from way back when and still have a redeeming quality about them, but it is not the case with King 810, who make little to no effort at making their sound their own.
After hearing “Killem All” you’ve basically heard everything this band has to offer. Every song sounds flat, one dimensional, accompanied with unoriginal compositions and, most importantly, every song just comes across fake. When you aren’t listening to the heavy songs that sound like the same thing over and over you come across the odd song here and there like “Take It” which is a laughable attempt at variety, by playing an acoustic guitar while the singer puts on his best Tom Waits impression as the song plays out. You’ll find equally amusing songs like “Anatomy 1.2” and “Anatomy 1.3” which are hilarious 4-5 minute rap breakdowns of 810’s singer David bumbling like an idiot and talking absolute nonsense. While songs like “Devil Don’t Cry” try its hardest to tug on your heart strings as a piano plays during David Gunn's “heart-retching” performance.
My biggest criticism though falls under the lyrics. I can’t stress enough just how atrocious and childish they are. You’ll have heard everything this guy has to say a million times before and done light-years better. Main topics of discussion are his women, knives, guns, gore, etc, etc. All cookie-cutter subjects -- desperately bad attempts to shock. And David, more often than not, executes his vocals by throwing word after word at you like he’s in a rap off with Eminem, hoping you get overwhelmed by everything he’s just said so you can just end up thinking the words he’s spat out have meaning or intelligence to them.
Overall, I find nothing to recommend here. If you’re looking for that NU-Metal sound from a currently active band you can find bands doing it much better elsewhere. Memoirs of Murder is lazy garbage that shamelessly steals ideas from bands without making any of the ideas their own. The only effort put in to the album was trying to make the songs as edgy and in your face as possible, which unfortunately doesn't pay off in the slightest.
AVOID.
