K-AGAIN – Memories Of An Evolution

Italian aggressive rockers K-Again have managed to gain some impressive friends. None other than Logan from the Machine Head and Soulfly camps produced this 6-song EP. On top of that, they sport impressive clothing sponsor deals. What’s that got to do with the music you might ask? Well, not much, it just says they have a lot of people who believe in and stand behind them.

K-Again has released one full-length album so far, and this Memories of an Evolution EP is their latest work. It seems like the band is facing some hurdles at the moment, though. They are currently devoid of record deal and a drummer, and are fiercely looking for replacements to fill both vacancies.

Logan’s involvement gives you a clue about the music. If you anticipated this being NuMetal, you were dead on. The first track on this consistently high quality EP is like a cross between Soulfly and Mudvayne, with the harder parts of Soulfly and mellow bits of Mudvayne. From the first note and the following growl, it’s clear that this is aggressive Metal. The band prefers to call their music “aggrocore.” Based on listening to this EP, aggrocore applies only at times. The feeling one is left with is that the mellow parts are actually dominating and the more aggressive parts are only added flavor. There are a couple of exceptions to this, like the songs “I Wash the Pain” and ” Isolated,” but even these have mellow parts in them too … ” I Wash the Pain,” more specifically, ends in a hypnotic and thought provoking chant.

What’s good about this band is their versatility and capability to write really catchy and memorable lyrical verses. Within each song, there is more than one opportunity to sing along, but these parts can’t exactly be called choruses because they keep changing. This becomes clearer by listening to the actual songs.

Korn influences can be heard on “Isolated,” where singer Pigo introduces his impression of those “hear my pain” type vocals that Jonathan Davis is so famous for singing. It’s up to each listener to decide if this brings more versatility to the band or merely annoys, which, in turn, mostly depends on how you feel about Korn. Either way, the Korn-influenced vocals are used only briefly and are in no way neither a major nor recurring theme.

It’s surprisingly refreshing to listen to an album that doesn’t drag on for ages. This little taster is over before you know it, and you’ll find yourself hitting the repeat button often, as well as singing along to these songs very quickly. The mission is well accomplished by this promising Italian band.

Now if only someone would reveal the story behind the band’s name …