Review Summary: First you become famous for your art, then you become famous for being famous, then famous for being infamous.
Rock and hip-hop barely ever go hand in hand without instantly becoming nu-metal. KDNPRS (abbreviation for Kidnappers, obviously) are one of the few bands that know what they're doing and combine the two with a surpisingly good result. KDNPRS is a four-man band from Barstow, California. When I found out that the guitarist was previously in Duck, Duck, Goose, a band also from Barstow, the project immediately piqued my interest.
Volume One starts with the track ''Brewlay Brothers;'' a chill guitar accompanied by laid-back vocals open the track, wherafter the groovy bass and drums join in. This is rather misleading as the track, as well as the rest of the album, transitions to somewhat heavier later on. The musicianship is definitely there. While not exactly guitar wankery there are definitely somewhat technically edged guitar parts scattered over the album. The bass gets plenty of moments to shine and stand out and the drums are really varied throughout the songs. The second track, ''Lords Of Chill'', almost feels sludgey and is probably the heaviest song. It's a short track which transitions into what has to be my favorite song off of Volume One, ''Tainted Water''. Overall it has the best guitarwork on the album. The song fluctuates with fast paced verses transitioning into a slowed down chorus and it works really well.
''86 Shooters'' is a track on which especially the vocals stand out, they're not only rapidly fired at the listener but also feature some effects which, notably in the chorus, gives the song something special. The chant ''*** THEM ALL! *** THEM ALL!'', also featured in the chorus'' is sure to be shouted along by fans during live shows. The properly titled song ''A Break'' is just that; an extremely relaxing instrumental track that lasts no longer than one minute and nineteen seconds, which is just long enough to catch your breath inbetween the previous few tracks and what is yet to come. ''Mud Club'' is one of the heavier songs with a shouted chorus, slow paced drums and low guitars. Last but not least and closing the album is ''Dr. Fuzz'' which is a perfect example of how rock instrumentals can really work with rapped vocals. The chorus, again, features shouted vocals but this time mixed with rapping.
The overall lyrical content seems to be focused on the thoughts of and events in vocalist Michael Romero's life. Lines about what he is living like, his opinions on several subjects but also about his influences usually pass by atleast once in most of the tracks. Fans of both genres as well as one of either genres will enjoy this as neither ever really outweighs the other. The only real complaint here would be that songs can sound kind of alike at a first listen, which might put off some listeners, but other than that KDNPRS have created something fairly unique; a working combination of elements from both rock and hip-hop, something that is rarely done well.
