Sunday 19 January 2020

KMKMS

BandKMKMS
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz
Related artistsSlavedriver, The Anchors and Amok.
CountryNagoya JAPAN
Years Active2013-2017
Song: "Dante"
Album: "Blue Friend split"
Year: 2015
For fans ofYarmulke, Yage, Evylock, Blue Friend, Broken Fingers, Cease Upon The Capitol, HerLens, Shotmaker, Forget Me Not, D'Amore, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Apollo 18, Hollow Jan, Edhochuli, Orbit Cinta Benjamin, Sweetheart, Istalah, Dip Leg and Zdzis Law.
Label(s): Dog Knights Productions / Like A Fool Records / Impulse Records
This post's artist is from the January 2020 Mix. This is track #2.
You can download: the January 2020 Mix#1 right here or get the new February 2020 Mix#2 here.

The Japanese five-piece KMKMS played a jazzy, sassy and playful take on screamy hardcore. Information in English on this band is sparse to say the least. After much searching I have found the 'Blue Friend split' 7" material (which is where I found out about the band), a teaser for the 'Peelingwards split', a song on the 'Confidence' 2x7", a Soundcloud link (with all of their demos) and a bunch of live videos.

Their first recordings show up the 'Peelingwards split' 7" and they drop arguably their best ever track "ドラキュラ" first. Unfortunately I haven't found the recordings of these songs and have only seen them in live videos. Check it out along with "Trash Metal" in the youtube embeds below.

The two songs on the 'Blue Friend split' 7" are great and are what inspired me to write the review and frantically search for their other material. Their side opens with "Trump", a spacey, warbly screamy hardcore jam that sounds a fuck-ton like Evylock. It's the closer "Dante" that blows me away, though. This thing was one of the best tracks I heard in 2019 (yes, I know, I'm a bit late) and I reckon readers of this blog will get a kick out of it, assuming they haven't already heard it. "Dante" begins with a crunchy, angular and disjointed intro that shifts to palm muting and ramblings before the song swings back around and plays the first two parts over again. And it's here, in the transition at 1:36, that the guitar attack becomes formidable. There's a bit of Swedish screamo going on here (Via Fondo/Suis La Lune) with a powerful, razor-sharp hook that propels the song into mind-boggling status. Hot damn that's so fucking good.

Speaking of fucking good, "Watch Tower" is their lone song on the 4-way split 2x7" 'Confidence', falling on the much darker, screamier and post-hardcore end of the spectrum. At 3:52 it's the longest track I've heard from KMKMS, and to be honest they weave a city that generally takes a good six minutes to erect, so color me impressed. The first minute is dedicated to a robotic rhythm recycled with cumulative guitars that eventually push the song into its swirling, unsettling and downright disorienting second section. The confusion eventually dissipates as at 1:40 they hit a sick groove that they ride until things pick up weight and begin to get heavy at 2:26. By 2:42 the songs breaks through the floor and explodes in the pitch black basement. This climax lasts for over a minute, with the final sliver of the song emanating a furious and cathartic breakdown.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Peelingwards split 7" (do you have this? please post the songs for everyone to enjoy!)

2015 - Blue Friend split 7" (buy from ZBR distro here)

2017 - Confidence 4-Way split (w/Forgetmenot, Redsheer & What Ever Film) cd/2x7" (download here)

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(2017) KMKMS - "Watch Tower" (from 'Confidence' 4-way split)

(2017) KMKMS - "ドラキュラ" live (from 'Peelingwards' split)

(2015) KMKMS - "Dante" (from 'Blue Friend' split)

(2014) KMKMS - "Trash Metal" live (from 'Peelingwards' split)

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KMKMS additional links
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1 comment:

  1. "2017 - Confidence 4-Way split"
    Why is there only one song in?

    ReplyDelete