OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET

This is one of my favorite hard rock/metal albums, and it's one of those albums, while not prog metal, is one that all prog metal fans should recognize for its influence on the genre. One of the reasons I love it is that it doesn't sound like anything else that was happening at the time. This is the year that Operation: Mindcrime, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, No Exit and Keeper of the Seven Keys part II were released. Tenor voices, fast paced drumming, melodic radio songs, and leather ruled, and most albums had that one epic song that showed off the prowess of the musicians. In response to that, King's X released an album that showcased tight (and relatively slow) grooves, a baritone lead vocalist in bassist Doug Pinnick (with contributions from the John Lennon sound-alike vocals of guitarist Ty Tabor), well written and concise songs, and a psychedelic image that harkened back to Sgt. Peppers era Beatles. These guys didn't need 10+ minute long songs to show what great players they were. When you can stuff the perfect riff, vocals, guitar solo, and bass line in a 4-5 minute song, what's the need for more time? This album, in terms of melodic songwriting, chops, and delivery rivals other power trio classics by (early) Rush or Triumph. In fact, Rush would return to a stripped down sound in the early 90's after going rather keyboard heavy in the 80's. Were they influenced to do this by King's X? I have no idea, but the sound on Out Of The Silent Planet is still fresh, dynamic and exciting due to the fact that it's just three guys playing three instruments really well. Also, kudos to Sam Taylor for capturing the power of the band in the studio, not an easy feat.