Lucifer Gunne - EP Review: The Red King
04 May 2017 // A review by butch181
An interesting short EP. Of the five tracks included, only three are of real substance, enclosed by the suitably named Intro and Outro.
The second track, Angel's Mark begins with some light, tranquil keys and guitar, quickly replaced by some fast paced rock guitar riffs. Rory McDonald has a rather unique vocal quality to him; an acoustic quality that I can't quite put my finger on, but his focus on the lower vocal range and emphasis on the "ahh" and "arr" sounds of his music creates an unusual rolling vocal melody that is intriguingly different. The track itself has a similar tune to that of The Living End's 1998 cover of Tainted Love, though the oral aspect comes across much closer to Marilyn Manson's crooning in his own 2003 cover of the same song.
Central track Pendulum, has a much stronger Manson aura to it for the first act, with an eclectic mix of instruments that would fit in well in a Tool or A Perfect Circle breakdown, before picking up the pace with a simple goth-inspired distorted guitar riff. A beautifully simple track, with a great natural pace that I could actually listen to for much longer than its 3 minute length.
Lucifer's Ward has a more mainstream rock sound to it. This ballad-style track is as basic as it can be, comprised of just vocals and an acoustic guitar. Vocals are meant as plural here, as the aspect that gives it great depth is the subtle harmonies in the backing vocals. The entire EP spans over eleven and a half minutes; like a fun size chocolate bar, I enjoyed it, but I'm craving more.
About Lucifer Gunne
Lucifer Gunne is an alternative rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand, founded by Rory McDonald
Starting out solo, Rory, worked on the first EP, The Red King with the idea of a whole band sound, rather than a solo project in mind. A couple of months after the release debut EP, he met the guitarist (Don Mackenzie) and ex-drummer (Henry Thomas) in the crowd at a pixies concert. They played their first show at Valhalla on March 30th 2017 and have been playing, gigging, practicing and recording ever since. The current lineup consists of Rory McDonald (Lead vocals, Bass Guitar), Don Mackenzie (Rhythm Guitar), Steve Henwood (Lead Guitar) and Jackson Kidd (Drums)
Lucifer Gunne has now disbanded.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Lucifer Gunne