Hereford-based rockers KinStrife will release their debut album, ‘Fools & Monsters‘, on March 5, 2021. The band was formed in 2013 by Alan Kaye (guitar) and Dave Richards (bass), later joined by Mike Hoskins (vocals/guitar) and Simon Richards (drums), and takes its name from the Kin-strife, a civil war featured in The Lord of The Rings.
Of the dozen tracks on the album, seven have previously been released as singles and/or as part of their 2020 EP, ‘Intervention‘. As such, you may already be familiar with their style – heavy, guitar-driven rock featuring deep, melodic vocals and soaring riffs, underpinned by a driving bassline and powerful drums.
All of this is amply on display in opening track ‘Intervention‘, which sets the pace for the album and promises one hell of a ride to come. ‘Make Me‘ teases with its restrained opening bars before the hard rock crashes through the doors.
‘Cursed‘ is the first of the new tracks on the album, and features a particularly nice (and all-too-short) guitar solo. Other new tracks on the album include the bass heavy ‘Rise and Fall‘, which treats us to another dizzying guitar solo, and ‘Stick With Me‘, which rounds things off nicely with a final burst of sheer energy.
Other album highlights includes ‘Fear‘, a beautifully nuanced and melodic ballad that shows the band can balance the heavy rock with more delicate songs, and ‘Slow and Easy‘, which gradually builds to a head-banging crescendo that is sure to prove a crowd-pleaser at live gigs.
All in all, Kinstrife have delivered an absolute belter of an album with ‘Fools & Monsters‘ – solid, guitar-driven rock delivered with skill and style. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
