Multi-genre bending artist King Bradley is breaking the mould with his debut effort titled Eco Death. The 9 track project is an experimental body of work that showcases King Bradley’s versatility as a composer, songwriter, performer, instrumentalist/producer and arranger. The sounds take elements from Pop, and rap, to heavy metal, and jazz-inspired funk while the topics tackle real-time issues such as the continuous decay of societal values, economic disruption and eventual doom and gloom which is a call back to the title Eco death.

 

The first song “ Garbage Goliath Vs. The Trash Titan” is a rousing Garage Rock number composed of rich guitar riffs, and thumping drums all underpinned by King Bradley’s commanding vocal runs and graphic storytelling of two creatures that are made from man’s negligence and duke it out Godzilla and Gargantua style. He paints a cinematic picture of death and destruction as these two monstrosities destroy everything in their path as they battle for supremacy. Next up is the Electro-Ballad ”Numb Insides”, a dark and gripping track that has a dynamic and off-centre production. The verses are toned down and composed of lush synths and soft drum grooves peppered by King Bradley’s lilting vocals before rising to a plateau in the chorus section and I must say the guitar solo is exceptionally brilliant. The use of tweaked vocals also adds an ominous touch to the track. This is followed by the vibrant “Towering Terror”, a Funk-Punk piece that is somewhat playful but King Bradley’s knack for penning graphic stories makes it engaging from start to finish. Armed with his energetic performance, King Bradley takes us into the midst of the Towering Terror which terrorizes the citizens in its wake.

 

In “Pyramids of Geezer”, King Bradley employs the cadence derived from Rap to tell the story of the Geezer who lives in a palatial environment and lives life to the fullest. The production is a blend of experimental rock, pop and rap. Next up is the pop-infused “Fossilization” which is introduced by a lonesome horn arrangement and lush keys with minimal grooves. Here, King Bradley changes his usual repertoire and uses tuned melodic runs that sound like the 90s group Eiffel 65. It’s quite an unexpected departure and throws me off a beat but it works for what it’s worth. On “Upward Bound”, the production once again changes into a bright and somewhat atmospheric aesthetic, although he says it’s  Funk/Jazz, this track sounds like experimental pop to me. The lyrics are unapologetic, somewhat off-kilter but distinct.

 

The last three tracks run the gamut as King Bradley uses Punk, Heavy Metal and a mix of Rock Ballad and Classical elements in all the respective songs.“ Super Stall” is a rousing and punchy tune with sizzling guitar arrangements, soft drums and filtered vocals while “Ionizer” starts with a cinematic guitar riff and continues with King’s impassioned vocal performance. The final track  “ Terminal Command” helps bring the track to a closure with its solemn and melancholic aesthetics. Here, King Bradley reflects on the current state of affairs and concludes with the foreboding linesTaking all until the end/These horrors we didn’t not intend/The seas are all but dying/Corals bleach and dolphins crying/I will never live forever, we all must die together”. The 7-minute-long track is quite enthralling and brings the project to a conclusion which might not be digestible for some.

 

Overall Eco Death, is a thorough and somewhat cynical look at what is happening to humanity and with the way we are going, King Bradley might just be right.

 

Keep up with Eco Death | SoundCloud: Spotify: Youtube: Website

Previous post

Krohme - 'TwentyFour: Season 1' [Album review]

Next post

Live at Penny’s – Word is Bond Rap Radio #602