Remember the mid 1990's and the vegan straightedge hardcore scene with its horribly over-sized clothes (big pants, basketball jerseys), staunch politics (hardline anyone?), and some of its more notable bands (Earth Crisis, One King Down, Morning Again, Culture, Birthright, Unconquered, and tons more)? I ask this question because not only do I, but because Kingdom is like a huge nostalgic kick in the ass for that era of "hardcore history." And their record, The Rage That Guides, feels like it may be a throwback to that era in more than one way. Maybe it is unfair on my part to already have a preconceived notion about what Kingdom's album may sound like, but at least it is that possibility that makes me interested in hearing the music that they make.
One striking aspect of Kingdom's songwriting ability is that they really no how to cut the crap and dive right into the meat of the song, which makes for the vocal delivery to make a big impact not only in its sound but also in topical content. Davin, the vocalist, writes lyrics that come across as both intelligent and genuine (although at times a little "overdone"), which prevents the record from having a preacher from the pulpit quality that some vegan straight edge bands do succumb. For instance, "Voluntary Human Extinction" contains the lines, "Sometimes things die (With a whimper, not a bang )/ And we don't hear their goodbyes (Like any other day) / Sometimes there is no hope
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Production wise The Rage That Guides lacks a significant punch to the overall sound quality of the record, which hampers the effect of the music - which is well executed with some wicked sounding riffing going on in the guitars, particularly in "33/45" and "Real Crime" - a bit by giving the songs too much of an even or "same" feel. If you look at a sound wave it sounds like the highs and lows of the wave are chopped out leaving the recording with a middle of the road sounding album. As a result, during the duration of the record, I lose track of what song that I am listening to.
The Rage That Guides is a pretty good record that certainly shows that politics are not completely dead for this style of hardcore punk music, and for that specifically, Kingdom deserves a huge round of kudos. They are proof that these types of bands still have something constructive to add to the political dialogue that punk continues. The artwork for the album is sharp looking and adds to the album's overall presentation; it is nice not to see a bunch of finger pointing or some live shot adorning the cover. Kingdom offer more than just a beat to wave our arms to or vicious dance soundtrack with The Rage That Guides. And yes, it does take me back a bit.
