Review by Lydia Evans for MPM
American rock band Killcode released their latest album “Life, Death, Rock n Roll” on 20th January 2023 under the Mother West label.
Killcode hails from New York City and the five piece band is composed of frontman and vocalist Tom Morrissey, guitarist Charles “Chas” Banellis, bassist Bobby Flores, guitarist DC Gonzalez, and drummer Rob Noxious.
The band is described as “making southern infused rock/metal with melodic vocals”. This is certainly true on “Life, Death, Rock N Roll”.
The album is filled with vocal and guitar harmonies, compelling drums and percussion, and thunderous basslines. The album showcases the talents of every band member and is versatile in its tracklist, giving the album something for everyone.
Whether you’re a fan of bluesy, country-esque rock or harder, heavier rock and metal, you’ll find something to your taste on this album. I was previously not too familiar with the band, but after hearing this album I will definitely be listening to them more.
The album opens with a short intro hearing the band jam in the background. We are then launched into the song “Let’s Get Back to Rock n’ Roll”, a true anthem. It’s a classic bluesy rock song – a great choice to begin the album and throw us into the world of rocking with Killcode.
The next track, “Ride”, has a drum intro with a retro feel, almost reminding me of the intro of Beastie Boys’ “Rhymin & Stealin”. That retro swagger is sent into the bluesy guitar riff and high-powered vocals, and this song really shows the southern rock influence.
“Gold” is one of my personal favourite tracks with its country twang opening guitar, upbeat percussion and smooth bassline. The song has a cinematic feel and gives the album versatility.
“Girl Next Door” is the blend of a rock ballad and an old country song. With nostalgic lyrics of “Let me ask you my friend / if we were forever, why did we let it end?” The chorus has melodic vocals and powerful guitar work by guitarists Chas and DC Gonzalez.
The outro spoken monologue with a woman’s voice adds something special. “Lucky Elephant” starts with distorted guitars before going full send.
The instrumentals on this one really show off the talents of each band member, with a commanding drum solo from Rob Noxious before breaking into harmonic guitar solos. “Phenomenon” shows off Rob Morrissey’s vocal ability and dynamic bass work form Bobby Flores.
This one is really fun to listen to. “Play” is the calm before the storm with an acoustic, melancholic vibe.
One of the most dynamic tracks is “New Superman”, a song over six minutes that takes us through a journey: hard rock for the first two minutes until a moment of silence, before taking us through an acoustic section.
The last two minutes have a swagger with a distorted guitar solo and a steady rhythm section. “Father” is an emotional song with a chorus of “Can you hear me now? Me and the boys are singing your song / and I know you’re singing along”. This song slows us down and brings us the inner feelings before the final track, “You Can’t Stop Rock n Roll”, originally by Twisted Sister.
This cover really fits with the vibe of the album and is the perfect choice to close it out – you can’t stop rock n’ roll, or in the case of Killcode… you can’t stop life, death, or rock n’roll
Stay connected at the links below:
IG- https://www.instagram.com/_killcode_/…
Website- http://killcode.net/
