KING OF BONES – Don’t Mess with the King (Album Review)

And so the journey of musical discovery continues. I proudly present King of Bones to the Decibel Geek faithful. Who, you may ask. And you wouldn’t be alone in that as just a short while ago I was in the same bucket. Picking up King of Bones‘ Don’t Mess with the King, released in late 2016, on a whim it impresses quickly. Prompting the purchase of the previous We Are the Law and internet research during the head bobbing listening session.

King of Bones are a melodic hard rock band hailing from São Paulo, Brasil. The band burst onto the scene with their formation in 2009. They have won over a loyal legion of fans in the presentation of their energetic and engaging live shows. Holding membership status in King of Bones we find Júlio Federici (vocals), Rene Matela (guitars), Rafael Vitor (bass) and Renato Nassif (drums).

Don’t Mess with the King is King of Bones‘ sophomore effort behind 2013’s We Are the Law. With the record production handled by Henrique Baboom and cover art from Gustavo Sazes, Don’t Mess with the King became available in September 2016. The first video/single released is for the track “Hold Me Closer”. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

King of Bones – Don’t Mess with the King

After enduring the 1:46 minute long, snake charmer feeling “Intro”, Don’t Mess with the King launches into “No Way Out”. I really hate those intro things, just a personal preference. But it’s this track, “No Way Out” that hooked me quickly on King of Bones. With the opening guitar riffs as the textured vocals kick in and a catchy chorus, this is a stellar lead in. From there Don’t Mess with the King moves into the single, “Hold Me Closer”, a melodic Harem Scarem-ish treat. After the melody of “Wherever You Are”, “Walking on the Edge” exhibits a fantastic grind just begging for your head to begin bobbing and start your foot tapping.

These Brazilians have obviously studied at the Harem Scarem school of melodies and harmonies with examples throughout the record. After graduation apparently, they attended classes at the Dio/Ozzy college of riffs and hooks. The remainder of Don’t Mess with the King plays well throughout the 13 tracks (including “Intro”).

With influences such as Dio, Harem Scarem and Ozzy listed, it’s no wonder that this appeals. Although it does get a little too melodic is spots for me, King of Bones – Don’t Mess with the King is a solid album. I’m positive that this will be receiving future spins here at The Meister stronghold and some tracks have already made their way to the MP3 player.

Now to delve into We Are the Law…at a high volume of course! Could there be a trip to Brasil in the future?

BUY: Don’t Mess with the King