Combining the best elements of metalcore and chaotic hardcore, Austin-based Koningsor are set to release a new EP, their first release since 2019’s A Quiet Panic.
While only containing two songs, the EP packs plenty of punch, each song containing several twists and turns for the listener to chew on over the course of several listens.
“Japan Japan” starts with a mathy kick to the teeth, which quickly morphs through several variations before reaching a more melodic chord progression. Koningsor touch on a number of influences, from early Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan to early Daughters and Drowningman. Yet their employment of more rock passages give the song a center for the chaos to orbit, essentially a foothold for the listener.
They also make use of clean vocals, but they remain in the background. Koningsor walk a fine line between chaos and control, but are the more successful for it.
“The Venerable Mr. Locust” hints more towards the mighty Botch, with all of it’s the finger twisting arpeggios. The drums know just went to drop out to create a sense of building tension, and more chord progressions break up the quagmire into manageable chunks.
The are plenty of headbanging moments, but when the changes hit, you’ll wind up with whiplash.
This EP is short, but with this kind of material, there’s plenty here to digest. These guys summon that mid-to-late '90s chaotic metalcore sound, yet put their own stamp on the material as well.
It will be interesting to see what they do on a longer release. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.
