Review: “AK Concerto No .47, 11th Movement in G Major” by King 810

If you count the leaked album “Anachronism” that they did with Chiodos guitarist Jason Hale back in 2009 then “AK Concerto No .47, 11th Movement in G Major” is the fourth spin of the chamber for Flint Michigan’s King 810 and it has been one hell of a ride. They received a lot of attention around their major label debut “Memoirs of a Murderer” which then dissolved leaving the brilliant “La Petite Morte or a Conversation with God” somewhat overlooked. Currently, the group exists as a duo of David Gunn (lead vocals, guitars) and Eugene Gill (bass, guitars, drums) although in live footage a masked drummer and guitarist have been present since the exit of original members Andrew Beal and Andrew Workman in 2017 and 2018 respectively. As a duo, their last album “Suicide King“, which we reviewed back in January 2019 was a disappointment, label independence had brought freedom and that left the album scarred by the presence of too many songs that would have been a better fit for Gunn’s side project Yavid.

When this album was recorded remains unknown, first single “Hellhounds” dropped seven months ago in March and had made its live debut by that point. The madness begins with “AK Concerto No .47” and spoken word verses from Gunn that grabs the attention immediately with a cinematic style. “Ooh Ooh Ah, Ooh Ooh Ah” is the part of the chorus chant which instantly recalls “Down With The Sickness” by Disturbed even if the pair of tracks have as little in common as chalk an cheese. It’s a powerful statement piece with a creepy undercurrent that has a darkness like Brandon Lee’s “The Crow“. A sinister Rap Metal vibe with programmed drums takes hold with “Red Queen“, a rant about violence on the streets that has a decent amount of guitar work cutting through it to hold it together. If you’d said it was a remix of a King 810 track from a film soundtrack rather than a King 810 track straight, you might be more curious. The same could be said of “I Am The Enemy“, which sees Gunn’s voice distorted in parts and programmed drums looming large in the mix. The guitar work is an improvement over the last record (they still claim to be a Metal band at this point) but has more in common with 90 industrial acts like Skinny Puppy. Cutting a similar path, the stomping “Hellhounds“, which continues to build on the foundation blocks of “Heartbeats” from the “Suicide King” record with Gunn sounding progressively more like he should be put in a straight jacket and locked in a padded room as the album unfolds.

The cinematic aspect of King 810 with Gunn’s storytelling ability has always been something that has been inticing about the group and in “Love Under Will“, it is more prominent than most. Once again using multiple voices to paint a rich technicolor picture, the song has the grand and epic nature of the material from “La Petite Morte“, which makes for a clear stand out. “Da Vinci Hands Pinocchio Nose” has the anthemic quality with a sing-a-long chorus and more sung parts in an industrial soundscape before “Dukes” brings something of a Country vibe. The industrial beats knit together with the rest of the album while that Outlaw Country vocal style is something we’ve heard from Gunn previously. Perhaps more of an obvious single with a clearer chorus and less abrasive tone, it makes way for “House of Dust“, which has an introduction that continues that vibe with as fitting twang. Making good use of orchestration to build the sound and creating a complex dynamic, the ode to a love lost is suitably fitting.

Sounding disassociated, “Love Bomb” takes the same story from multiple angles as it rants and raves in the first and third person with concrete slabs of riffs buried underneath an industrial percussive battery with creeping synths as the band sound more and more like the offspring of Ministry, something that can also be leveled at “Suicide Machines“. Both tracks are loaded with complexities that pop out of the mix across multiple listenings and from a band who had the extremes of a split personality in them at the start of their career, those extremes have bleed into one single sonic mass. Then comes “2a“, which finds King 810 in Rob Zombie territory with an auto tuned chorus that shouts “We The People” with satanic laughter. A far better album than “Suicide King“, far more complete and polished while also being a World away from “Memoirs of a Murderer“, if this is the sound of King 810 going forward then we’re on far steadier ground. Not that anything has been dialed back of course… [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. AK Concerto No .47
2. Red Queen
3. I Am The Enemy
4. Hellhounds
5. Love Under Will
6. Da Vinci Hands Pinocchio Nose
7. Dukes
8. House of Dust
9. Love Bomb
10. Suicide Machines
11. 2a

“AK Concerto No .47, 11th Movement in G Major” by King 810 is out now