Deep into a creatively satisfying career, Italian act Kingcrow continue to challenge themselves (as well as the listeners) with an eclectic mix of influences across the alternative, ambient, and progressive spectrums – all filtered through a rock/metal spectrum. Previous records like Eidos and The Persistence pushed the parameters of sound, harmonies, sophisticated passages of jagged interplay beyond the style juggling and transitional/emotional shifts that could happen from one measure to the next. Hopium as the eighth studio album appears six years beyond the last effort – and should be another benchmark when it comes to pushing parameters to explore edges of texture, aural combinations that present vivid shades of light to mesmerize, tantalize, and provoke deeper discussion about what progressive metal / rock means to these musicians.
Within one section of a song, you can hear multiple elements to hook your ears – ethereal mid-range vocal harmonies against subtle off-time meets groove-oriented drumming, next to jagged cascades of guitar lines or distant, cyber-haunting keyboards. The next track may throw at you electric/ acoustic percussion that soon smashes into Yes-like vocal swirls or bombastic guitar/keyboard syncopation. Amidst all the elements on display, you get the feeling that the quintet always possesses intuitive abilities to maintain hooks and melodies without losing the plot – as “White Rabbit’s Hole” and “Parallel Lines” easily illustrate. Circular accents allow specific musicians to branch off or build additional tension / excitement for the next adventurous passage – all the while giving vocalist Diego Marchesi ample room to grab that ideal spotlight chance, even in a somber cut like “Night Drive” where 80s soundtrack-oriented keyboards next to a Pain of Salvation/Riverside-oriented guitar foundations take place. Most of the songs aren’t going to blow you away through jaw-dropping technically sound prowess – it’s more a case of the little diversion tactics building up things to this fabulous, unexpected payoff. The mix of more radio-friendly arrangements beyond the expected six to eight-minute plus cuts undoubtedly fights off any ear fatigue worries – as opener “Kintsugi” and “Vicious Circle” delight in their immediacy just as equally as the longer, eight-minute plus mood-moving title track.
A 52-minute plus record that once again proves Kingcrow are always looking to add bright, diverse influences into their alternative progressive rock/metal framework – and succeed in making heads turn with Hopium. Not the heaviest record when it comes to the metal side of things, but the creative push through different fields, softer to darker emotional resonance, plus killer melodies/ harmonies that abound ensure plenty of deep playback dives even years down the line.