KING'S X - "MANIC MOONLIGHT" (METAL BLADE)

 

"Manic Moonlight" is King's X's ninth studio release, though for me it's their 3rd. Those of you who read the review of the predecessor, "Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous", know that I personally considered that album rather more disjointed and generally less enjoyable than "Tape Head" that came before. "Manic Moonlight" comes somewhere between these two efforts. It combines the smooth melody and instant attraction in tracks like "False Alarm", "The Other Side" and "Vegetable", while offering generally more consistent tracks throughout.

King's X is still familiar in the way they use their vocal harmonies atop Doug Pinnick's instantly recognisable singing, coupled with plenty of funk. "Manic Moonlight", if you listen more closely, is filled with a lot of subtle sonic stuff going on in the background. Apart from the melodic tracks mentioned earlier, the album also contains "Static" (pulsating slowly towards a climax) and the rather cool "Skeptical Winds". Though I still like "Tape Head" more (and perhaps I ought to check out the things that came before), "Manic Moonlight" is really quite a fine album...despite the album being rounded off with about a dozen seconds of superfluous immaturity including eating noises and a burp.

RK

 

Written November 2001

 

Go to the Official King's X web site

Back to the Main Menu