Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

The Step Kings are an alternative metal band hailing from New York City. Around since February of 1997, the band consists of singer/bassist Bob McLynn, guitarist Fern, and drummer Mike Watt. Their music is a difficult style to brand, a course and gritty mix of New York style punk, with a dash of hardcore, a cup of thrash, and a squeeze of progressive metal. 

The album launches brutally, with “Nucleus”, featuring a sing scream thrash/rap lyrics applied to a metal onslaught reminiscent of Biohazard but with a more unique flavor incorporated in its dynamics. The song drops off as sharply as it started and is followed by the more melodic “3 The Hard Way”, the albums title track. Other highlight tracks are the hard driven and harmonic “California” as well as “Zeros and Ones”, a more radio friendly piece. 

To be brutally honest, for its genre it’s a good catch, but I just think its very overdone. While I see future potential, I think it lacks in production quality, there seems to be a lot of noise mixed in with some good musicianship and great vocals, when he actually uses his voice instead of trying to rap or sound hardcore. But, that’s just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions!

Also notable is “Helicopters” with its change in tempo and decent vocals, and the catchy trip, “The Dove”. Then there is the mildly funky “Young Life Crisis”, with a groove heavily punctuated by violent thrashings. The album is rounded up appropriately with “Goodbye” which starts with a distant vocal track followed by a catchy melody that is my new favorite off the offering, and definitely sounds like it could contain a singable radio hook in the chorus, as well as a low end mid drop with some enticing vocals and a build up to the next bass loaded rock line. The last track “12.23.01” I find surprisingly acoustic, melodic, and containing superb vocals, impressive, the last two songs on this album may have changed my mind overall about this CD, I definitely think they should say Goodbye to the rap, and let this guy sing.

To be honest I started out not impressed much, and ended up feeling like I might want to listen a few more times, at least to some of the tracks on this album. I think with a solid production, and some arrangement highlighting the vocal talents of their front/bass man, we haven’t heard the last from The Step Kings.