Some bands aren’t as active as you’d hope they would be. Bands like Kingcrow just don’t get the attention they deserve, unfortunately. Kingcrow is back after a six-year absence with Hopium, which releases on August 23rd through Season of Mist. This album continues their tradition of excellence.
Italy’s Kingcrow have been in the game since 1996. That sort of blows my mind. They’ve been around for nearly 30 years! I only stumbled upon them back in 2013 with the terrific In Crescendo, fell further in love with their sound with 2015’s Eidos, and was seriously impressed with 2018’s The Persistence. They are back now after some time, but they have lost none of their potency. The current lineup is Diego Marchesi on vocals, Diego Cafolla on guitars and keys, Ivan Nastasi on guitars, Riccardo Nifosì on bass, and Thundra on drums.
I’ve long thought that Kingcrow should stand tall, popularity-wise, alongside the likes of Riverside, Leprous, and Haken. They have that same spark and emotional bravado. The band plays a blend of progressive rock and metal, much of it with an alternative slant. This album sees the band mix in more pop, electronic, and synth elements, sometimes feeling like fragments of Radiohead or Massive Attack.
And, you know, I think that’s why I’m loving this album. Hopium has style that, quite honestly, transcends most progressive rock today. There is a sense of groove and sheer coolness to many of the songs, and the band goes out on a ledge with a few of them. I remember speaking to Diego Cafolla a couple years ago, and he let me hear some of the demos at that time; he was quite worried that the progressive rock community would find some of these tunes too pop-inspired or like they were selling out. This album is anything but that, though, and I like to think prog fans have grown in the last decade. Maybe. Maybe not.
The album has nine songs, and they are all great. The three singles are a pretty good indication of what the album is like. “Kintsugi” opens the record with a rhythmic and stylish piece that worms its way into your brain; I like how it seems to reach a breaking point where Diego’s vocals get intense and emotional. “Night Drive”, as I’ve mentioned on the Facebook page, is one of my favorite songs right now. I love how it feels full of solitude and space; in some ways, it sounds like a 90s ballad at first, but then the band injects multiple layers of melody and rock to take the song into the stratosphere. The title track is the newest single, and it revels in the synth side of the band. I love the main rhythm and the huge vocals.
Some of the other tunes are just as good or better, though. I’m a huge fan of “Glitch”, a song that sounds something like an electronic rock song with quirky style; and, yet again, it has layers that slowly emerge to make it both fascinating and also fantastic. That song continues into “Parallel Lines” with its itching synth line, but the song soon transitions into classic Kingcrow with a monster second half that gives me goosebumps. I love the balance between musical space and heavy percussion that it maintains. Definitely one of my favorites.
A couple more favorites are “Losing Game” and “White Rabbit’s Hole”. The former has plenty of acoustic grace, but that is contrasted with a heavier side and epic keys, and so the song has character. The latter reminds me of “Night Drive” with its casual, classy groove. I like how this piece gets a little wild and crazy in the second half, and the band turns the intensity way up, and just when you think they are done, Diego’s keys come sweeping in, and, damn, it just sounds so amazing.
The entire record is wonderful, though. Kingcrow always delivers emotional, catchy, atmospheric experiences, and I feel like Hopium offers that and more. This album adds more personality and twisting flair to their classic sound, and it just feels so good. The band is clearly passionate about what they do, and I hope this album grabs new listeners by the bucketful for them.
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The PROG Mind 