Formed six years ago and following a number of line-up changes and substantial setbacks during the pandemic, Irish band Kraik have finally been able to begin to release their music. In December 2023, their first single – Effigy - established the band’s self-proclaimed groove metal leanings and now they prepare to release their second single, The Neon Piper.
Opening with forceful percussion, crunching riffs and a roar from vocalist Joey McLaughlin, Kraik then immediately pull back the power for the next twenty seconds, creating a feeling of brooding expectation until the entire band join once again with battering guitar and a rampant bass line. The first lyrics are delivered with a belligerent, guttural growl as McLaughlin begins the song’s damning social commentary suggesting that the problems we face are often due to our own limitations, our unwillingness to see beyond our immediate perceptions and how we are often the architects of our own misfortunes.  We are blinded by our own fear and ignorance / The rope is held tightly by our own hand. There is a frenetic pace to the song in the opening two minutes and Nigel Colhoun’s authoritative double-kick drumming reflects the pounding thoughts circling in the mind of McLaughlin and his self-critical lyrics.
Balancing the high-tempo opening, a slightly slower groove-driven moment allows for focus on a lyric that repeats at different points in the track, illustrating a frustration with how we are not acting against impending doom or serious issues but instead are drifting towards them without resistance. We are sailing into oblivion a little to passively for me. Vocally, the line is sometimes sung with clean vocals, sometimes rumbling bellows and sometimes a combination of both as if to illustrate the inner turmoil of the protagonist. It suggests we sometimes blame those around us for our own failings and that we ultimately cannot escape from our personal demons. Further indication of the band’s visceral attack on modern attitudes comes with the most aggressively delivered line of the track. We are drowning in our own apathy - McLaughlin’s bile spitting tone acting as challenge in his hope to shake the listener from a lifetime of simply following the crowd or accepting their fate.
Two and half minutes into The Neon Piper, Kraik once again slow the pace and strip back the instrumentation. Thus begins a foreboding bridge which blends a range of musical influences including Mastodon and Alice in Chains. With the noose around your neck / Will you say your northern star lead you astray? / You'll say there's still time to find another way / To stand firm in your faith: freedom. Giving the listener once last chance for reflection, the lyrics question whether what we believed to be true guidance was actually misleading. Following this, a compelling guitar solo soars over Kerry Donnelly’s insistent staccato riffs and Paddy O’Kane’s precise bass salvos. McLaughlin’s range of vocal tones is further enhanced by thundering death metal growls in his criticism of those who deliberately ignore the truth or spread false narrative, possibly for their own benefit. This is what you many faux philosophers fail to remember purposefully / That we have so many fabricated fables told from the side of the decay.
Lyrically, the song could not be more appropriate for today’s society and it acts as call to action, urging us to wake up from our apathy and question the news we are fed on a daily basis and to take responsibility for our futures before it is too late. With The Neon Piper (titled in reference to The Pied Piper but with Neon acting as a contemporary, possibly artificial allure), Kraik certainly inhabit the world of groove metal. However, there are significant nods to progressive and death metal and even grunge within The Neon Piper’s six minutes, and individual listener’s enjoyment of the song will be determined by their willingness to accept the combination of these sub-genres within a single piece. Nevertheless, fans looking for a fascinating blend of Alice in Chains, Pantera, Mastodon, Gojira and even Meshuggah will find Kraik’s new single an intriguing and engrossing listen. The Neon Piper will give Kraik the opportunity to be heard by a wider range of listeners and hopefully there is much more to come from this interesting quintet.
The Neon Piper is released on 9th May 2024.
Kraik online