KOOK ~ II ..... review

Kook, Troy Aschenbrenner (vocals), Eric Wilkins (drums), Jeff Wilson (bass) and Karl Larson (guitar), came into being from a variety of different directions the four members having played in numerous bands and projects. In Kook the quartet bring all those experiences and knowledge acquired elsewhere together in one place to create a groove unlike anything you may have heard before, a groove that is forever shifting and changing in both direction and dynamic. It is a sound that they first explored on their excellent debut "Kook" and is honed to perfection on this their second album "II".

So what is your musical poison of choice? Are you doomster looking for darkness and dankness, are you a stoner/hard rock aficionado looking for crunch and swagger or are you a lover of the lysergic wanting to get off on swirling lead breaks and flights into the musical cosmos? Well if you answered yes to any or all of those questions then "II" is all your Christmases and birthdays' come together, if you cannot find something here that does not float your particular musical boat then my friend your boat has sprung a leak and should not have been on the water in the first place. "II" is a smorgasbord of styles, grooves and genres seamlessly weaved together in a tapestry of sound that not only incorporates all those elements mentioned but also manages to nod its hairy head towards heavy blues, indie flavoured goth-rock and good ol' fashioned heavy metal. Kook do not recognise musical borders and routinely criss-cross through and over genres and styles, a band who are as likely to tug at your emotions with a bluesy torch song ("Left Behind") as they are to have you creating your own solitary mosh-pit with the raucousness of their riffs ("Chased By Monsters") while at the same time unafraid to take a risk and set off into dissonant lysergic tinted waters ("Frequency 8").

"II", we are told, is based around a concept of "the fight for survival...of the individual and the species...in an insane galaxy filled with monsters", well if this album is the soundtrack we walk into battle hearing then ….we might just have a chance.
Check it out ….

© 2019 Frazer Jones