As a music consumer you've got to be extremely cautious with a term such as cult band. It is often used to describe acts who are commercially unsuccessful or by groups trying to disguise their musical inabilities. With all due respect, this is certainly not the case with King's X. Doug Pinnick (vocals, bass), Jerry Gaskill (drums) and Ty Tabor (guitars) are consummate professionals who enjoy a brilliant reputation amongst fans, media and their peers. King's X's status as a cult band stems from their long time significance on the international rock scene as an all encompassing, fresh and innovative band. Their brand new album [title]XV[/title] again proves to be a classic example of intelligent, varied and imaginative rock, on which they combine flawless skills, great compositions and superb production. Produced by sound maestro Michael Wagener in Nashville, Tennessee, the Texan power trio have produced one of the best albums of their successful career. And that is saying something!

1. Pray
2. Blue
3. Repeating Myself
4. Rocket Ship
5. Julie
6. Alright
7. Broke
8. I Just Want To Live
9. Move
10. I Don't Know
11. Stuck
12. Go Tell Somebody
13. Love And Rockets (Hell's Screaming) (bonus track)
14. No Lie (bonus track)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015UGNSC/?tag=imwan-20

Our resident King's X megafan upstairs stopped posting awhile back.

I liked the band's sound circa Dogman, but I haven't been too impressed with their other output.

Ted's still around, he's just in deep lurking mode. I sent him a PM about this release and he replied back in about ten minutes, to the effect that he already knew and has already heard some demos and completed tracks.

Of course. Tell him to come back and start posting more!

I've been busy.

Michael Wagener produced this one just like the last one. Not sure why it's been in the can so long - it was recorded last year. The two completed tracks I've heard sound pretty good.

Bumping to add some graphics

Bump because it's release day in most of the world. Go get it and support a good band.

Wow! Is this an amazing album!! This is easily their best since Ear Candy and may even be the best thing since Faith Hope Love.

Their albums have been everywhere from mediocre (Ogre Tones) to just plain awful since Ear Candy. It's great to hear them at the peak of their game again. When they're at their best, there's nobody better.

King's X certainly deserves (and has deserved) much more acclaim than they have received. They should be a household name. Hopefully XV will bring them some consistency and will be the beginning of a new chapter of success for them.

I'm so glad to see a positive review. I love the KX guys, and USED to love their albums but everything after EAR CANDY has been hard for me to like. I was going to pick this up anyways but now I am a lot more psyched.

I didn't like Ear Candy either. My favorite is still Dogman. That said, I will have to check this new one out.

I love EAR CANDY. It's the stuff after that one that leaves me cold.

And I know I am in the minority on it but DOGMAN is my least favorite of the albums prior to EAR CANDY. I don't like the overly heavy production with no harmony vocals at all like what I consider to be the classic KX "sound" of the early albums. It has some songs I like (DOGMAN, FOOL YOU, CIGARETTES) but overall it's not a KX album that I reach for if trying to turn someone onto them. Most KX fans I know rank it as their favorite though.

There are too harmony vocals on Dogman - "Complain" springs to mind.

Completely agreed. I LOVED Ear Candy also and yeah, everything since has been pretty bad. Dogman is also my least favorite of the Atlantic years – too raw and not enough harmonies. Faith Hope Love would be my fav, followed by Ear Candy and then the first two albums. I had high expectations for Ogre Tones but, while it was better than what they has been doing recently, it still didn't quite make it for me.

XV is almost as heavy as Dogman but the songs, choruses, harmonies and production are much, much better. It isn't as commercial as FHL or EC, but it's certainly one of their better discs. I think you'll dig it. Let us know what you think when you get it!

I stand corrected. Although that is more of a shouter harmony vocal thing if I remember right?? I will have to go back and give DOGMAN another spin though, been years since I listened to it.

P.S. What do my fellow KX fans think of Doug/Dug's outing with Reb Beach called THE MOB? I love that album, great hard rock with melody! I dig it more than any KX album post E.C.

I don't consider Dogman too have many harmony vocals at all.

I haven't heard The Mob, but I'll have to give it a listen!

Don't want to steer you wrong, it is nothing like KX (Doug doesn't play bass, he just sings but his voice sounds great!). It's a straightforward hard rock record with only one "power ballad" if I remember right (that one sung by Kelly Keaggy). Good songs/melodies. Reb Beach shreds on geetar. One of my fave releases from 2006.

Just picked up XV today at a local independent record store. I could get it cheaper as a promo at a record show but wanted to support the band. My first choice was to wait until they came around and buy it a live show but I saw it today and didn't want to wait until god knows when to hear it...

Anyways on one listen I do like it more than anything after EAR CANDY, as folks have been saying. It has a few really good songs, also some that don't do much for me though. Production wise it is pretty good, but nowhere near their glory day sound that they used to have (not expecting it to be, just saying). I guess Ty doesn't do that dropped down thing anymore, I dunno. Nice to hear Ty singing lead vocals on a song or 2 also. Have to put it in the car and give it some repeated spins to get a better handle on it.