REVIEW: 'Scared to death' by King Nine

King Nine’s 2013 LP “Scared To Death” holds a special place in my personal list of the greatest albums of all time, quite simply put I love this record and have done since the first time that I heard it. Everything about this record is phenomenal, in my subjective opinion, I could sit down and talk to anyone about why this record is so amazing for hours on end.

But this entry isn’t “10 reasons why this is the greatest record of all time” (although I wish it was), this is a retrospective review, looking back at a five year old record by one of my favourite bands.

Scared To Death sits at 28 minutes long. 28 minutes of classic New York/East Coast heavy Hardcore, full of viscerally heavy riffs and aggressive, almost ‘spat out’ vocals. This record is almost guaranteed to make you want to move aggressively with the rhythm.

Kicking off this record is the title track “Scared to Death”, a brilliant opener which perfectly reflects the sound the band pushed for on this record. The songs starts with the bass line rising out of the feedback, before kicking into one of the most recognisable riffs on this record. Following this is “Murder In The Second” which brings the classic King Nine sound, which fans of this band will have come to know. “Free Will” sits third on this record, bring more crushingly heavy riffs whilst still remaining rhythmically interesting, making listeners want to dance with the groove.

“D.F.Y” offers a slightly more melodic introduction to King Nine’s usual approach to song writing, but nevertheless its still contains the classic “mosh parts” which really make this record stand out, let alone this band. King Nine have managed to capture such a raw and visceral sound on this record with their approach to heavy song writing yet without sacrificing brilliant construction of songs to “mosh parts”. This is extremely evident on the next two tracks “Prayer For Strength” (which brings crushingly heavy riffing and beatdowns) and , my personal favourite, “Still Anticipating” (which could only be described as beautifully written violence in audible form).

The lyrical content of this record is not something to be ignored either. Vocalist Dan Seely creates imagery of the ‘urban struggle’ and growing up in a working class environment, all delivered with his trademark “tough guy” aggressive vocal style, which creates the image of a hulking behemoth spitting each word out.

As we move into the final four tracks of this record, King Nine further demonstrate the high level of song writing and musical construction which they have become synonymous with. “Damnation” offers some of the most vivid images lyrically with the line ‘Sex for money, money for drugs, lost and alone, looking for love.’ before kicking off into a groovy mosh section.

“Blind Eyes” kicks off with a menacing bass line, before kicking into an equally heavy riff. Something which is extremely evident throughout this record is King Nine’s ability to create almost mechanical and machine-like heaviness whilst still retaining flair and exceptional song writing.  The song finishes off with groovy bass and drum section with a line that really resonates with myself, ‘The powers that be have a plan for me, put me to work and never let me be free’.

“Boiled Love” brings more of the same song writing and sounds found all over this record, a combination of vivid lyrical imagery, menacing heaviness and groove that makes all listeners want to move. Although these comments may make the record sound stale, the level of consistency in the song writing of “Scared To Death” keep the whole record interesting, and well worth multiple listens in one sitting.

Entering into the final song, “Made To Feel”, we are met with a much tamer version of King Nine. The song itself is more melodic and downbeat with a dark looming feeling over the song. The lyrical content of Seely pushes this feeling with his constant stress on the word ‘Alone’ in each vocal passage. As this song reaches it’s halfway point, a single guitar plays a minor riff to further create this melancholy feeling. This song is extremely deceptive though, as at the 2:32 mark we are met with the classic stomping, visceral and aggressive King Nine breakdown which can be found all over this record. The song itself though, is the perfect way to end a record of this calibre.

My final comments on this record are as follows. King Nine have constructed a wonderfully heavy and groovy record which could be found in most ‘Hardcore Kids’ top ten records lists. The sheer level of songwriting on this record creates a brilliantly consistent collection of songs, and does not get stale or gruelling to listen to at all in my subjective opinion. I would implore all readers of this review to go and listen to this record immediately, it may change your outlook on Hardcore like it did for me. 10/10.

By Jack Beale-Burchell