Kingdom Come – Rendered Waters
Release Date: April 5th in North America
Highlights: Can’t Deny, Should I, Seventeen, I’ve Been Trying So Hard, Break Down The Walls
Back in 1988, Kingdom Come pretty much came out of nowhere with their self titled debut album that boasted two hit singles, “Get It On” and “What Love Can Be.” I remember hearing “Get It On” on the radio thinking that it was some new Robert Plant tune. Unfortunately, this stigmata of sounding like the mighty Led Zeppelin was something that seemed to haunt the band and become a black cloud over them. I just couldn’t understand why people couldn’t see through the smoke and see that Lenny Wolf was a really amazing songwriter in his own right. People seemed to spend more time ragging on these guys for sounding like Zeppelin than actually listening to the songs. The songwriting was spectacular and the delivery of these song was nothing short of face melting but again, instead of hearing the songs, they heard the influences and pegged them as “Kingdom Clone.” Hell, I’d rather a band sound like Zeppelin than a band that sounds like LA Guns any day.
Not many know that Lenny has been consistently releasing albums as Kingdom Come that unfortunately have fallen upon deaf ears here in America. 23 years later, Lenny Wolf and Kingdom Come will release a brand new album “Rendered Waters” and I couldn’t wait do feast my ears upon this one. “Rendered Waters” is a collection of brand new material and some re-recorded material as well. My guess is that Lenny wanted to give some of these classic Kingdom Come songs a breath of new life and what a life these songs have. The album opens with “Can’t Deny” which originally appeared on 1991’s “Hands of Time” and this song is so melodic and heavy that I was so blown away. Wolf’s voice still possess that Robert Plant like quality to it and has aged really well but the songwriting is the strength there. “The Wind” is a crunchy piece of awesomeness that sounds more classic metal than Zeppelin while “Should I” sounds more like that classic Kingdom Come that could have been on their debut. This re-recorded version, much like “Can’t Deny” breathes a whole new life into the song giving it more punch and attitude than the previous version. This song is without a doubt one of Kingdom Come’s greatest moments.
The remakes on the album all seem to have captured a new energy that totally makes them sound as if they are brand new songs. I really love the fact that songs like “Seventeen”, “Living Out Of Touch” and “I’ve Been Trying Hard” all sound like new songs yet still capture the essence of Lenny’s vision for what Kingdom Come is as a band. As I said before, the strength to these songs is the songwriting. The new material on this album like “Break Down The Walls” and “Is It Fair Enough” show that this band is far from out of ideas. These songs are so strong that while they stand on their own, they go very comfortably beside the classic Kingdom Come songs. Melodic, inspired and full of passion is the best way I can describe the closing track “Break Down The Wall.” It left me wanting more.
It seems that over the years Kingdom Come lost a lot of the Led Zeppelin influence that they were so known for. Instead if that being the main ingredient in the pot, other influences such as Pink Floyd, The Doors and even some classic metal like Rainbow has been added to the mixture creating a goulash of rock and roll awesomeness. “Rendered Waters” is a testament of just where Lenny Wolf and Kingdom Come are as a band. This band is very much alive and still capable of creating some of the best rock and roll music you’ll never hear. Trust me on this one y’all. “Rendered Waters” is totally worth diving into. Dive in and swim around a bit. You’ll be swept away.
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