King's X
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King's X is also an abbreviation for King's Cross station.
King's X is a soulful heavy metal band that has its beginnings in 1980 in Springfield, Missouri as The Edge, performing mostly cover tunes in the Missouri bar and club circuit. By 1985, the name of the band had changed to Sneak Preview, and they started to record original material. They relocated to Houston, Texas on the promise of a recording contract, but the deal fell through. The band's name changed yet again, this time to King's X, at the prompting of then new manager Sam Taylor, who helped them secure a contract with the Megaforce label in 1987.
Manicmoonlight.jpg
Its lineup has been consistent:
All three musicians sing, although Pinnick handles most of the lead vocals. One of the identifying characteristics of the band has been their harmonically rich vocal arrangements, which have often been compared to work by The Beatles.
King's X has struggled with being identified as a Christian metal band. Many of their lyrics have a clear Christian influence but this comes from the individual faith of the members rather than an attempt to tap into that market in the way groups such as Stryper did. Their albums used to be marketed highly in christian book stores but after lead singer Doug Pinnick announced that he had came out of the closet as a homosexual, their albums were removed from such places.
After 1992's King's X failed to sell well as was hoped, the band's sound became, at times, darker and took on a wider variety of influences. 1994's Dogman and 1998's Tape Head produced heavier songs such as Cigarettes, Go To Hell, Manic Depression, and Hate You, while 2001's Manic Moonlight made extensive use of sharper, simpler beats and drum machines and was a departure from the known style of King's X songwriting. The band's lyrics also became more abstract, as in 2000's Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous, with lyrics covering a wider variety of subjects. The lyrical spirituality that the band was once partially known for has become less pronounced in recent albums.
Discography
- Out of the Silent Planet (March 23, 1988)
- Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (June 27, 1989)
- Faith, Hope, Love (October 23, 1990)
- King's X (March 10, 1992)
- Dogman (January 18, 1994)
- Ear Candy (May 20, 1996)
- Best of King's X (November 11, 1997)
- Tape Head (October 20, 1998)
- Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous (May 23, 2000)
- Manic Moonlight (September 25, 2001)
- Black Like Sunday (May 20, 2003)
- Live All Over the Place (November 2, 2004)
- Untitled King's X album (September 27, 2005)
External Links
- KingsXOnline.com (http://www.kingsxonline.com/) - official band site
- King's X.Net (http://www.kingsx.net/) - a comprehensive fan site