King Cannibal – Let The Night Roar

October 9, 2009

Those of a delicate mental disposition may not find ‘Let The Night Roar’ to be a particularly helpful record. Etched out by a man obsessed with ragga rhythms, King Cannibal (aka Dylan Richards) mashes the techno of The Prodigy’s ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’ with the sonic edge of Drum n’ Bass to an almost unbearable level of industrial paranoia. The superb ‘Aragami Style’ welcomes the listener to this world of uneasy listening with warped dancehall beats and a vocal snippet that states, “I wanna slice your face”. Clattering hi-hats and a distorted bassline reminiscent of ‘Their Law’ follow along with a chorus chant of “Kill it, Kill it, Kill it!”

This element of menace spills into ‘Murder Us’, as a hypnotic techno beat underpins a throbbing bassline, and yet, as the track dynamically develops, it offers droplets of twinkling synth to invite us to a more accessible realm before cruelly returning to aural oppression. Enjoys playing with styles as much as the listener’s imagination, Richards steps successfully into the dubstep arena with ‘So…Embrace The Minimum’ and ‘Flower Of Flesh And Blood’ which feature half-step beats and snappy snares buried in reverb.

A fan horror movies, Richards adds detuned harmonies to vocals, which lend the album a cinematic air. ‘Colder Still’ and ‘Dirt’ bear this quality and the former is viciously set upon by intermittent breakbeats, whilst the latter seems to feature a ferocious monologue delivered by a comedy Rasta in an episode of Red Dwarf.

Though genuine, too much of ‘Let The Night Roar’ sounds like it is trying hard to be…well, hard.

(3.5/5)