Kyng
August 20, 2014
Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
How many fucking times can Kyng come to Atlanta? Well, if you ask me, not enough. Kyng has been to Atlanta more times than any of my other favorite bands and damn what a fucking gift. Most people get to maybe see their favorite bands once a year at most and here I get to see Kyng something like 3x a year. Not a bad fucking deal and I’ll tell you why. It’s because with every passing gig Kyng just never ceases to amaze me. There’s few things cooler than watching a band grow right before your eyes. From the moment I watched them blow Black Stone Cherry off the stage back in 2011, I knew that I was seeing not just one of my new favorite bands but a band that would prove to grow into a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Kyng rolled into Atlanta for the 3rd time this year (or was it fourth?) as direct support for Chevelle laid waste to the crowd with their opening number “Burn the Serum.” The tight backwards baseball cap, Redbull and Coors Light drinking crowd looked like someone had just shit in their flowerbed but by the the band was 1/2 way into the 2nd song “Pushing & Pulling” the crowd just gravitated forward and let out a huge roar of approval. It was a real treat to finally get to hear my favorite song from Burn the Serum, “Sewn Shut.” There’s just something about this song that seems to create some sort of bridge allowing people to see just what a versatile and melodically brilliant band Kyng is. Eddie Veliz has really come into his own as a front man and the way he becomes one with the audience allows for this connection that most bands tend to try way to hard to obtain but never do.
Every time I hear Kyng do “Electric Halo” it never ceases to blow me away. That song sounds every bit as strong as it does on the album but it was “In The Land of Pigs” that was a
real highlight for me. The Sabbath influence on this track is undeniable with it’s punchy “Children of the Grave” like rhythm but they totally take it in their own direction without sounding like they’re just duplicating it to a “t”. The audience proved to be blown away as they just got more vocal with approval with each passing song. When drummer Pepe Clarke started his intro to “Hot for Teacher” the Tabernacle erupted as the band just slayed this song. This song really has become a staple of their live shows and it totally works for them. They really nail the hell out of and it connects with audiences because who doesn’t know this song? It really opens the doors to let more people in and it’s done so without compromising their own sound.
Kyng has truly grown into a powerhouse live band. With each passing show they just get better and better and I always leave thinking to myself, “How will they ever top this?” They continue to top themselves and watching them win over audiences with such a great performance is a real treat. These guys are road dogs and they’re doing it the old school way by relentlessly touring and constantly giving 100% or more every night they’re up on the stage. Whether it’s 50 people or 3, 000 people, you can always rely on Kyng to give you one of the best, most facemelting live performances out there. You just have to see it for yourself and trust me, once you do you’ll be a fan for life.
Kyng Setlist:
Burn the Serum, Pushing & Pulling, Sewn Shut, Electric Halo, Trails in Veins, In the Land of Pigs, Hot for Teacher, Falling Down
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