This
trio of veteran musicians based in the Frederick
area of Maryland
is such an interesting bunch of hoodlums. Having crossed paths throughout the
years it was just a matter of time before they joined forces. Consisting of
Paul Cogle on bass guitar & vocals (Akris & Black Blizzard), Tim Otis
on guitar (Admiral Browning & Akris), and Brian Goad on drums (Internal
Void & The Larrys), the instrumentation set-up is somewhat odd since Paul
usually plays guitar and Tim drums. Oh, Paul and Brian played together for a
long time in the excellent band, Nagato. To these ears the main draw for High
Noon Kahuna is surf, punk and doom which forms a fantastic foundation for their
music. But other influences are present as well, simply listen to their
full-length debut, 'Killing Spree' and you'll hear things I don't. And that's
how it should be! However, what we all will share though is the love for this
great album.
Opener
'Parachute' comes at you in full-blown surf regalia...that is until Paul starts
to sing. What is on offer then is intense punk-surf soaked in tons of attitude,
groove and, well pure beauty. No ifs and buts about it. A brilliant start,
indeed! 'Danger Noodle' follows and is a touch slower for the most part with
more harmonies but every so often High Noon Kahuna explodes. Moving back and
forth like ebb and tide, this song is fantastic...especially with Paul's
haunted, dejected yet to the point vocals added to the equation. And to hear
Tim rip it up on the guitar is pretty mind-blowing.'Sharktooth' brings back the surf-rock and
then some. Brian is really leading the way on the drums allowing Paul and Tim
to tear it up, this is instrumental music at its very best!
'Another
Way Around' steamrolls hard at first before launching the music into a sphere
of emotions, music harmonies juxtaposed with biting punk and rock as well as
pure raw beauty. What follows next is my favourite of them all, 'Black Lodge'.
Taking its inspiration from TV's best-ever show, Twin
Peaks, you can't go wrong. Starting off with a reggae-ish
drumbeat, the bass guitar then truly bring the dark and twisted vibes of Twin
Peaks before Tim unleashes the mania full out. Gradually building up in pace
'Black Lodge' just gets more and more intense as would befit anything David
Lynch puts his hands on. Truly amazing! Album closer 'Sand Storm' opens it's
arms to that wonderful surf-guitar tone Tim rips throughout the entire
recording. And with Paul and Brian laying down the law this unholy composition
is intense and oh so brilliant!
I
just love it when a band comes along who, regardless what kind of music they
play, simply defy boundaries and genre rules. They do what they want and how
they want to. Being unshackled like this creates great music, even moreso when
the band members are such accomplished musicians....as the guys in High Noon
Kahuna are! That is brought forth even further with the silence they bring.
What I mean is they don't cram their songs full of stuff but let silence
prevail...I guess, less is more is what I'm trying to say. Regardless, High
Noon Kahuna are a great band and they deserve world domination. Our lives would
be so much more better, trust me!
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