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The road to hell might, indeed, be paved with good intentions, but I’m sure that mediocrity’s freeway has a few like-minded rest stops along the way. Case in point: Californian trio Kylix, a band that has chops to spare, great riffs and solos, a seemingly incessant desire to ply traditional metal and thrash fare in a more-than-workmanlike fashion, a crackerjack rhythm section that seems to enjoy playing in tandem, a knack for disparate moods aplenty, and, tragically, little to no charisma to speak of. A host of factors sink this one but good. Witness the relatively flat power vocals (that sound a bit Tom G. Warrior without the requisite unnnhs), the ponderous overlength of more than a handful of songs, the seeming adherence to rote mainstream influences – a dash of Metallica, a shake of Megadeth, a sprig of Pantera, etc. – and a general past-due feel to the proceedings. It sounds more stale than retro, with even the moniker, pronounced “kill-icks,” bringing to mind those “big in their area” local bands circa 1992 that had to constantly rethink their course of attack due to the encroachment of more technical thrash, power groove, death metal, et al. The metal landscape is even less forgiving in these oversaturated times than back then, but I hope that this young and talented batch of upstarts rethinks its approach doggedly and proves me utterly wrong.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Killing Ourselves |
| 2. Other Side |
| 3. Idle Hands |
| 4. Death and Destruction |
| 5. Boot Broken Face |
| 6. Violent Fantasy |
| 7. Path of Chaos |
| 8. Terminal |
: 37:52
| Buy other Kylix albums |
