Alien Ken – Contact

album by:
Alien Ken
Version:
MP3
Price:
£7.49

Reviewed by:
Rating:
4
On 27 January 2014
Last modified:11 May 2020

Summary:

With classic drumbeats and riffs throughout this album was better than I expected. The highlight track was Glitter Rambo. If you're feeling adventurous make yourself a tin foil hat, with whatever piece of tin foil you can find, and give Alien Ken a listen!

Contact by Alien Ken is released 26th January 2014. Who is Alien Ken? You may ask. Best know for his work with K(nine) and Moth Circus, Alien Ken now has a solo project with music described as Alien/Coffin rock! Claiming to be from Zeta Reticulli, Alien Ken has written produced and released the album Contact with, according to his Facebook page, help from unnamed musicians.

Not being familiar with Alien/Coffin rock I thought this might be an interesting one to review. I suppose I expected a cross between UFO and The Damned. ET Phone home! With the album comes Greetings from Alien Ken, and some simple steps to follow before listening! As I got sent the album electronically I didn’t get the original sheet of tinfoil but if one’s going to do a job, one has to do it to the best of one’s ability so, I improvised with a foil pie tray! At least it didn’t recommend laying in a coffin or flying off in a spaceship!

Luckily the lyrics are in English, not Klingon! The lyrics are written by (I believe) vocalist Ken Egeland. I found a medley of Alien Ken performing live on YouTube (link below) and Egeland reminds me a little, in looks and vocal style, of Rose Tattoo’s Angry Anderson! I was expecting something a bit weird and wonderful, maybe psychedelic to take me to another planet but it was mainly heavy rock/metal. Wrath of Noro reminded me of Rammstein say Ich Will meets Du Hast. Forthcoming single Cleanse My Claws was similar in sound to Sinnergod a Manchester Gothic Rock band I’ve recently reviewed.

Two Bad has a spoken word introduction so immediately I thought of Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast, Arthur Brown’s Fire and Tenacious D’s Tribute. Some good riffage in Two Bad and with the lyrics ‘I wanna know what an Angel can do to my demons’ it wasn’t Alien Ken’s only song referring to Angels, nor using the spoken word, as Glitter Rambo also contains a spoken narrative and contains the lyrics ‘I ended up with an Angel by my side’

With classic drumbeats and riffs throughout this album was better than I expected. The highlight track was Glitter Rambo. If you’re feeling adventurous make yourself a tin foil hat, with whatever piece of tin foil you can find, and give Alien Ken a listen! Will you enjoy it? I don’t know, but it’s an out of this world experience if nothing else!

Track Listing
1 – Content Is King
2 – Wrath Of Noro
3 – Fall at my Feet
4 – Cleanse My Claws
5 – Two Bad
6 – Glitter Rambo
7 – The Drifter
8 – Mirrored
9 – She

https://www.facebook.com/alienken

http://alienken.com/

https://twitter.com/alien_ken

 

 

With classic drumbeats and riffs throughout this album was better than I expected. The highlight track was Glitter Rambo. If you're feeling adventurous make yourself a tin foil hat, with whatever piece of tin foil you can find, and give Alien Ken a listen!

About Louise Swift

I first went to a gig in 1981, Gillan at Leeds University. I've been a regular gig goer ever since. I haven't kept count of how many gigs I've been to over the intervening years, but it's a lot! My favourite bands are AC/DC then, in no particular order, Anti-Nowhere League, Slaughter and the Dogs, Towers of London and Dirt Box Disco. I tend to like Glam/Punk and rude offensive lyrics, not sure what that says about me but as Animal would say 'So What!' The question was recently put to me - did I write for any online publications? My reply - No, but I'd like to! Planetmosh was suggested and I found myself offering to review Aces High Festival. Easy peasy I thought! Well not quite, if a jobs worth doing it's worth doing well! I had sixteen bands to research. I found I actually enjoyed that and it kept me too busy to be making lunatic comments on Facebook! ;) Then I felt a bit inadequately qualified. I mean, who am I to comment on others, when my musical expertise extends to being able to play a mean Greensleeves on the recorder and a passable Annie's song on the flute! Haven't picked up either instrument for years! What I do have, however, is over 30 years of experience as a gig goer, so I can comment on what I like and what I don't! It's only my opinion and, if I don't like a band it doesn't mean they are bad, just not to my own liking. I admire anyone who has the guts to get up on that stage and have a go!