Flint, Michigan has seven times the average crime rates of the United States. It’s a city in financial turmoil, with contaminated water that could cause cancer. You need to carry a gun in order to survive.
So when King 810 speak of ‘Memoirs of a Murderer’ they are essentially sharing their life, which gives the record some authenticity. Musically, frontman David Gunn and his band borrow quite a lot, concerning the vocals and the general style, from Slipknot. The parallels are many: The ‘dangerous’ aspect, the importance of their origins (Flint, Iowa), the first official release that isn’t a demo but nor it is the proper debut (Anachronism, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.). King 810, that are touring with Slipknot at the moment, will have to stand out on their own, so that they’re not overshadowed by the nine.
There are quite a few calmer moments on the album, which have a unique style. The confessions ‘Anatomy 1.2’, ‘Anatomy 1.3’ the bare ‘Take it’ and ‘Devil Don’t Cry’ which I swear sounds like Nick Cave. This is a side of the band that should be further explored. On the other hand, the main course of the album, theoretically at least, is (nu) metal with sharp riffs, breakdowns and Gunn’s brutal vocals. There are some good songs, ‘Fat Around the Heart’ for example, but there are some that are more or less indifferent. This isn’t the triumph that the British press would have you believe, but one thing is for certain; King 810 will get much more attention in the future.
