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Band: Kill the Messenger
CD: Self-titled
Date: 01.24.04
Reviewer: Tatt

Review:

Three letters. W.O.W...Kill the Messenger(KTM) is truly what I would call and eclectic metal band.never thought I’d hear myself say that, but then, I had never listened to KTM before either. And what I get in the mail from this super-group of metal musicians is an eight track, seven song and, get this, one outro track of some of the most killer, dark, emotionally infused heavy metal to date. I’m surprised it didn’t burn a hole in the packaging material because this stuff is hot!

I notice a few things right off. First of all, KTM sent a complete package, CD, Bio/Promo sheet, Pic sheet, and one of their flyers. Now, upon pushing the disk into my player, and sitting back with a cold one, the music kicks in, brutal and hard, but more than that, with a unique style. It doesn’t sound really hardcore at first because the guitar work is so unique, but then the rest of the band and the vocals kick in, singeing me where I sit. Now, something else that truly sets them apart, at least for me, and more than likely for other bass players out there, is the fact that throughout the first song, you can very clearly hear a smoking bassline, and for me, this instantly attracts the band to me. The bassist, Rob Riggs, is definitely in his element here, laying it down fast and furious, and with tons of skill and precision. Now, I thought, well, cool, I got to hear a good bassline in an emerging metal band, and truthfully, I don’t expect to hear much more like it, but guess what? Each and every KTM song not only features a nice bass, but each song is as vastly different from the others as people are from one another. Okay, though I’ve dwelled a bit on the bass, don’t take that as me not hearing the other fantastic members of this band. The guitar sears hot and heavy and extremely skillful in every song, and the drums lay down a nice beat that builds the backbone for these songs. The vocalist has a nice range and isn’t afraid to explore places that most metal bands don’t dare tread, as in the third track on this disk, which seems to be a nice, metal ballad at first, but then jumps out and bites you in the ass. The vocals seem to be very comfortable with death metal growls and screams, and are able to ease comfortably into varying ranges. All in all this is one hell of a good disk, and one that I’m glad that I got the good fortune to hear and be able to review.

Here’s what you can do for yourself and for KTM. GO LISTEN TO THEM! Buy one of their albums! And call or email 97.3 New Rock and request their song Leach you can do so by calling (513)749-7973 or by emailing at equest@newrock973.com If you can’t manage that, find your way to their website and check it out for yourself at: www.killthemessenger.com Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

Until next time......Keep it heavy!!

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