Green King – Hidden Beyond Time (The Sign Records)
Monday, 12th December 2022
Sometimes styles shift naturally as band chemistry grows. Finnish act Green King for example started as a side project to play stoner heavy rock – eventually drawing more of a traditional heavy metal influence bank. Over the years they released singles, demos, and an EP Rock Alley Tapes, signing with The Sign Records for this full-length Hidden Beyond Time. These eight tracks transport listeners back to the 70’s and 80’s – an era rich for twin guitar harmonies, distinctive vocal melodies, and this sense of overtaking the aural landscape through catchy hooks from first note to last.
On first pass its obvious the twin guitar action from main rhythms to those melodic, harmony-infused passages out of vocalist Eliel Salomaa and Lauri Lyytinen should garner praise plus the unmistakable air simulation antics. Check out the slower bends against military marching strains in the instrumental parts for “Tervakiituri” as well as the Black Sabbath meets Thin Lizzy-esque activities on opener “Gates of Annihilation” to catch that cultural fervor in the spirit of ideal tandem axe action. Various NWOBHM, early hard rock heroes, and the mid 80’s traditional wave globally has a thumbprint on Green King as far as attitude/execution – the gallops, stairstep nuances, or forceful, whiskey-soaked delivery from Eliel beyond the off the floor production/tones making this as old school as possible. Two shorter instrumentals “Prelude to Massacre” and “Taunter’s Theme” allow the listener small breathers – the latter featuring bassist Heikki Nyman delivering in a circular, calm presence. Closer “Lifetakers” is an epic 8:39 tour de force, where drummer Otto Bigler lays into this foundational, steady tempo to encourage that endearing harmony-rich duo of guitarists to command elevated presence, acoustic guitars in the concluding measures adding a somber touch.
Another asset is the tidy, 34-minute playback for Hidden Beyond Time – just enough to rock and roll back into the record quickly. Green King chug along in that traditional meets stoner/doom metal style that embraces everything from Iron Maiden to Judas Priest, Black Sabbath to Thin Lizzy, UFO to Angel Witch to synthesize all the best parts into an explosive, heart-thumping collective that’s hard to not be swept into and praise.
