EP REVIEW: Holed Up In The Lair – King Parrot
A key player in the Australian extreme metal scene Melbourne quintet KING PARROT brew up a rancid concoction of thrash punk and grindcore with the purpose to disgust and excite with their brutal Australian tongue in cheek sound which is both hilarious and aggressive. Birthed in 2013 they have released three albums with their second EP Holed Up In The Lair now released into the world.
Recorded back in 2017 in the notorious Phil Anselmo‘s Louisiana studio, Nodferatus Lair with his House Core Records engineer Steve Berrigan (released in Europe on Agonia Records). These four tracks were recorded over four days intended for an album. Vocalist Matthew Young states “usually KING PARROT always try to write music together in the same room, but that just hasn’t been possible for us because of the lockdown. We were planning on re-working these tracks for a new album eventually, but when all the restrictions came about, we thought why not get these tracks out there as a special limited edition 7” release? “
Why not indeed, earlier albums have been criticised for not being consistent throughout, starting off with a bang but fizzling out with two much repetition (they are generally known for their killer live shows), so will Holed In The Lair follow the same pattern or have they kept it sweet in its shortness.
Banished, Flawed then Docile kicks off with Young‘s unique unhinged shrieks against hardcore/punk drums and downtempo riffs, however they violently speed up to a machine gun pace of blast beats and blistering pentatonic scales. Playing with the time signatures the rhythm slows right down to a bass heavy, chugging, ominous trudge in the catchy beat down chorus before shifting right back into thrashy, grinding chaos.
Blunder to Asunder does not so much race ahead as swagger, with some serious attitude, fitting the accompanying dark groovey bass carrying the track forward until the mood changes and charges ahead with an adrenaline-fuelled rage rife with death growls and Young‘s squawks and shrieks. Evil and sharp toned bristling guitars in Nor Is Yours have a biting edge to match the ever-frantic screeching which are contrasted with the hefty pissed off growls of longtime fan and supporter Phil Anselmo. Blackened tremolos add another tasty texture and the drums shift from heavy pounding to merciless blast beats.
Kick Up A Stink kicks things up another notch with chainsaw riffage and manic clanging cymbals against fast as fuck bass drum. Especially bound to create quite the feverish mosh pit conveniently broken up by the ubiquitous hardcore beat-down with a classic thrash vibe for those catch a breath moments.
So, short sharp shocks are the way to go, KING PARROT manage to jam pack a lot of excitement, playfully toying with tone and pace in a blink and you’ll miss it, just under eight minutes of ferocious insanity that will grab you by the proverbial balls and rip them right off kind of way.
Rating: 8/10
Holed Up In The Lair is out now via Agonia Records.
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