Wowsers. It’s rare that an unsigned band try and tackle such a vast and powerful sound and pull it off – and not just pull it off but excel at it at the same time. Kenai are kids, but you’d never, ever know from the sound of this 5-track EP. Recalling the sound of early Thrice – the vocal roars during ‘The Six Hundred’ are as good as any Dustin Kensrue has released since ‘The Artist In The Ambulance’ – the Essex sextet are perhaps a little obviously lyrically, but their riffs and song structures are absolutely spot on. There’s energy in abundance and a general level of excitement that young bands struggle to portray on CD.
Every song here is a highlight. Kenai manage to nail a genre which is bursting at the seams with bands who fail to re-invent the wheel. This lot, somehow, manage to hit very hard and heavy yet don’t lose sense of some very celever melodies. And the singalong in ‘This Is Murder’ reminds me of Funeral For A Friend when they were actually good.
Best new band in Essex? Definitely.
Best new band in the UK? The sky’s the limit…