Ogre Tones [Enhanced]

King's X | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000AOVL8G
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,632 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #24 in Music > Christian > Hard Rock & Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

King’s X's Ogre Tones is nothing less than a grand slam. Loaded with the trio’s trademark vocal harmonies, Doug Pinnick’s patented bass burps, Ty Tabor’s signature guitar stylings and Jerry Gaskill’s unmistakable rhythmic skills behind the drum kit, this 14-song celebration is both accessible and heavy, somber and inspiring. The band has long been compared to The Beatles and herein lies the proof. The Beatles comparisons are more than simply the ethereal vocals. They’re also about Pinnick and Co.’s ability to craft memorable songs, whether the opening stomp "Alone," the rifftastic "Fly," the uplifting rocker "If," or the gorgeous acoustic track "Honesty," which stands as a new career high. Lyrically, the group grapples with issues ranging from death to aging to global unrest with humor and warmth, injecting each song with the perfect balance of levity and curiosity. From beginning to end the Texas-based collective demonstrates its unique ability to bring pop, progressive and heavy rock together into one seamless blend that can only be called King’s X. --Jedd Beaudoin

Product Description

The legendary trio King's X are widely known as the pioneers of powerful groove rock. Highly respected by critics, adored by their fans and held in high esteem for their excellent instrumental skills by musicians from all areas of music – King’s X has a brilliant reputation that is unequalled in this business. The new album Ogre Tones is their first studio album with new material in four years and it is already being touted one of the best in their catalogue. To properly welcome King’s X to the IOMA / SPV / RYKO family, Inside Out Music will be implementing its most aggressive marketing/release plan to date. This will feature two promotional video clips that have already been filmed by famed Hip-Hip director, "Dr Teeth", a national commercial radio campaign, a stand-alone consumer advertising campaign and a 6-week North American tour that has been coordinated to begin with the release of the new CD. Ogre Tones was produced and mixed by Michael Wagener (Metallica, Alice Cooper, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, Dokken, Megadeth, Motley Crue, Skid Row, Extreme).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting back to the X..., October 2, 2005

By 

David Koblentz "King's X Guru" (Edison, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ogre Tones (Audio CD)

Since the split with Atlantic the band has produced their own work. This has given them unbelievable amounts of freedom to pursue exactly what they wanted to. With this were learning curves so the work was at times brilliant (Mr. Bulbous) and other times missed the mark (Black Like Sunday, Manic Moonlight). Never lost on these records was the trademark "King's X sound" of blissful harmonies/soulfull vocals married to harder edged songs..however some things got lost in all the experimentation and taking steps out on their own...

Enter Ogre Tones, for which the band teamed with famed produce Michael Wagener (Master of Puppets...hello?). This album also marked a return to the band bringing in their outside demos and working them through versus just writing tunes on the spot (with the exception of Black Like Sunday which were tunes from the bands pre history of the early 1980's). Wagener brings in a crisp clear approach to the vocals and instrumentation. While not "sparkling" it gets it done in a way that doesn't distract from the natural appeal of the core sound the fans of King's X have fallen in love with over the years. Oddly enough this album is comprised of mostly songs penned by Doug Pinnick. The songs Stay, Fly, If, Get Away, and Sooner or Later all have been filtering around the fan community as demos since as early as 1996. The song "BeBop" has a lyric "Emotional Animal" (which happens to be the title of doug's latest solo effort) and sounds like it would have fit right in with doug's solo material (especially considering the vocal style as well). Another two songs, Freedom and Goldilox (reprise), are re-releases. Personally I am just confused to the band's recent penchant for doing this. These songs do nothing to make better or improve on the original versions, their incusion here can only be seen as filler or perhaps a stab at getting recognition for past released songs. With all that in mind there aren't too many "brand new" tracks for the rabid fan BUT that said the execution here is much sharper than on the previous two records.

More about the tracks themselves... "Honesty", to me, is the new "Summerland". It's short, It's sweet, It's conveys the point beautifully. Any ty fan should be drooling like a mongoloid over the vocals on this acoustic gem. Why he doesn't release more tunes like this I am baffled. If the world heard this track they would be in love like the rest of us X heads. Sub in Dave Matthews or something and this song would be #1 on multiple formats. Dare I say this song is worth the price of the CD? Well, I just did. "MUDD" is another track probably penned by Doug which deals with the death of his great uncle (who was 96 at the time). We get the "usual" great harmonies here... classic? maybe not, but a good song none the less. "Alone" is the "single" (if there really is marketing behind this one). Granted, the video (which is included on the CD just as a file, open up windows explorer) is stupid if not shot very well (dancing ho's ? stupid...). The song is a catchy little pop ditty with a nice chorus, questionable lyrics but it does grow on you. "Hurricane" is probably the biggest dud on the platter, it sort of plots around like a storm that isn't organized and doesn't know where to go. "Open My Eyes" is a nice rocker with a calm verse and slamming chorus..reminds me more of the Mr. Bulbous stuff for some reason. The band has been playing this tune live for over a year now, so note that the recorded version doesn't have the same vocal interplay as the live version, not a total detriment, rather an observation. The doug demo tracks shine here. "Fly" has a great riff and catchy 'make you smile' type of chorus. "Sooner or Later" and "Stay" really convey the emotions that the song and lyrics imply. They have a signifigant emotional impact. "Get Away" seems a bit silly lyrically but hey, no one's perfect.

A classic? Probably not. Enjoyable and worth buying? You bet.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars i'm stuck.. is it good or do i just want it to be?, November 4, 2005

By 

Dennis W. Alvey (Sherman Oaks, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ogre Tones (Audio CD)

This band has been wandering blindly both musically and spiritually (well, Doug mostly) for the last 10 years and it shows. I Haven't personally liked a record from these guys since Dogman. After that, their magic seemed to leave with the early 90's. While grazing the bins i saw this and my curiosity was peaked. I weighed the value of that $13 like Greenspan but gave in to the impulse buy. I can't help but hear this record and listen to it with anything else but an unsatisfied expectation for the next Gretchen, Faith Hope Love, Kings X or Dogman. That being said, this record isn't bad. In fact some songs bare a faint resemblence to thier best material. Problem is, it never quite BECOMES thier best material. This record is definitely a step out of the ditch they seemed to fall into for me. However, i think its safe to say this band's highpoint is just in the past and will likely not return to the elevated Horizon they stood on. As a record and independent from its ancestors, its a good record. Bebop is a good idea that MIGHT have been a good song. But that scream Doug throws out is awesome. Personally, i think Doug's personal spiritual woes weigh down this band from taking another successful flight. But they can still glide the landscape and remain fairly local while we all recognize that shadow being cast from above from a band that should have just taken off.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a welcome return to form, October 10, 2005

By 

zionred "zionred" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ogre Tones (Audio CD)

King's X has been my favorite band ever since I first heard their CD, Gretchen Goes To Nebraska . From the open riff of the song "Out Of the Silent Planet," they had me hooked. What's even more amazing is that I bought that CD just because I thought the album cover was cool. I didn't really know a lot about them at that time. Fast forward many years later and I'm still a huge fan. They are the main reason why I ever picked up a guitar in the first place. Ty Tabor is one of the most underrated guitarists in music, Doug (now dUg) Pinnick has a voice that will take you to heaven, and Jerry Gaskill is one of the most respected drummers among musicians. They are truly a musician's band. You can't help but be influenced by them if you have ever had the desire to play music yourself. Especially rock music.

All of this being said, the last few albums they have released have fallen short of what we expect from them. While trying out different approaches to songwriting and production, it seemed as though they had lost some of the "magic" that was King's X. Although there have been a few moments of their previous genius on these albums, the band just wasn't living up to their reputation. We knew they could do much better.

Enter Ogre Tones. The first CD to have an outside producer since 1996's Ear Candy. This is the King's X that I fell in love with. The memorable guitar riffs, Beatle-esque harmonies, and pensive lyrics are back with a vengeance. This is definitely the best CD they've released for in quite a while. While it still doesn't really match the brilliance of their earliest works, it is definitely a step in the right direction. This CD definitely proves that this is a band that does their best work under a producer.

The album opens with the rocker and first single "Alone" and doesn't let up from there. The musical styles they utilize on this album run the gamut from rock, funk, ballad, acoustic and, of course, hard rock. For me, the highlights of the album are the songs "Alone," "Stay," "Bebop," and "Freedom." If it wasn't for a few weak moments on this album, it would be almost perfect.

The majority of the weak moments are lyrically. For the song "Freedom," (which was originally recorded during the Ear Candy sessions as a b-side), they've changed a couple of words that should have been left alone. It's as though they've decided that they don't want to take the risk of including some lyrics that might be thought of as "preachy" or "offensive" to those that might not share the same point of view. However, isn't this what rock is supposed to be? It's supposed to be a dangerous medium that challenges what you think. Unfortunately, they have decided to go the "politically correct" route in this case.

The other weak aspect of the album is the song "Get Away." It's a shame because the music to this song is quite good. However, once again, it fails miserably in the lyric department. It's nothing more than a childish diatribe in dUg's continuing and sad war against Christianity. He even drops the F-bomb during this one while describing how "mean" God's people are. This may be exactly how he feels right now and I don't chastise him for sharing it, but he could have at least come up with some more creative lyrics to express it. They just seem like a cop-out and don't make for a very good argument. I love these guys very much, but it saddens me that they've allowed their view of God and Christianity to be twisted because of a few people and/or situations that they have come into contact with. It seems that they truly don't know what it is all about.

Besides these couple of weak moments, Ogre Tones is still a great album and very much worth the purchase. Everything from the overall production quality, the CD packaging, the artwork and, of course, the music prove that King's X is still relatable to today's music scene. I waited for a while before reviewing this CD because I wanted to listen to it quite thoroughly before doing so. Every time I listen to it, I like it more and more. It hasn't left my CD rotation since the day I purchased it.