KINGDOM COME – Outlier (2013)

No Cuts

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Their self-titled debut made Germans KINGDOM COME a household name internationally with a catchy commercial appeal strongly ‘inspired’ by Led Zeppelin. Fans loved it, while peers and press not so much…
But founder (and only remaining member) Lenny Wolf took the critiques in stride and has persevered, as he has turned Kingdom Come into a long, rewarding career.
“Outlier” is the new chapter of his diverse creative progress, expertly positioning his charismatic voice between traditional melodic rock structures and modern sound elements.

Lenny Wolf is a brave man. His last albums under the Kingdom Come moniker have been quite risky, fuelled first and foremost by musical challenges and the desire to keep evolving.
“Outlier” is not an exception, an eclectic mix of his traditional melodic bluesy hard style and modern, electronic-induced heaviness. This recording never dulls and never dips, keeps all the many moods interesting.
According to Wolf, in rock music all has been said, every note possible has been played and every theme has been tackled. So what he has done here? He re-invents himself again expanding new sonic horizons.
Wolf likes to give ‘progress’ a chance to improve or at least take some songs and fans to a different level. He says; “How many times could I write ‘Do you like it?’ without boring everybody and myself to death? At least I’m trying.”

Awash in epic keyboard textures, “God Does Not Sing Our Song” has Wolf exasperating with lines like “So many dying following leaders, watching the planet explode” as big heavy beating drums pound their way through the slow drama of the song, until in its dying moments the briefest of guitar lines appear with the kind of somber touch Steve Hackett would climax one of his compositions. It’s unexpected, and damn impressive.
“Rough Ride Ralleye” features some retro electro-drumming against classic hard rock chords, “Running High Distortion” is a mid-paced shuffle rocker with synths squiggling and squeaking noisily, while “Holy Curtain” is dark, with a slow downbeat unthought from a Kingdom Come song. And all these ‘new’ elements work.

But the man still retains his traditional rockin’ roots, and in the uptempo “The Trap is Alive” Wolf’s voice finally picks up in the mix and musically crank things up. This track reminds me Hughes-Thrall material from the ’80s, and rocks really good.
On “Skip The Cover And Feel” and “Such A Shame” the traditional KC from early years emerges with bluesy Zeppelin encrusted riffs and Lenny’s polished raspiness, but immediately it’s followed by the spacey keyboard intro of “When Colors Break the Grey”, and although the song later ups the tempo with a strong riff and a contagious melody, you realize that Wolf is trying something musically new. And quite good if you ask me.

“Outlier” is not an instant album, but it’s truly great. It should be one of the most innovative CD’s released in the Melodic Hard Rock field from the last twenty years.
Where I had some doubts with Kingdom Come previous recording, all are dissipated on “Outlier”, showing a restless artist aiming authenticity before commercial considerations. And the best part of it is the fact these songs are somehow catchy at the same time.
Despite this broad musical palette Wolf manages to dynamically rock most the time, and rocks with style offering something new to taste. All this fresh material holds an obvious connection to Kingdom Come past with Wolf’s instantly recognizable voice, yet musically at once mature and modern.
Do yourself a favour: don’t miss Kingdom Come’s “Outlier”, a captivating, absorbing new way to do Melodic Hard Rock.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

01 – God Does Not Sing Our Song
02 – Running High Distortion
03 – Rough Ride Rallye
04 – Let The Silence Talk
05 – Holy Curtain
06 – The Trap Is Alive
07 – Skip The Cover And Feel
08 – Don’t Want You To Wait
09 – Such A Shame
10 – When Colors Break The Grey

Lenny Wolf – lead vocals, all instruments
Eric Förster – lead guitar
Frank Binke – add. bass
Nader Rahy – add. drums

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Outlier-Kingdom-Come/dp/B0088YUG1I