To borrow from the lyrical genius of Insane Clown Posse: fucking dynamics, how do they work? Plenty of bands attempt the loud/quiet game, and a lot do it competently. But few explore its vast possibilities – in structure, lyrical composition, the feel of a song – like KEN Mode do on Venerable (Profound Lore, 2011). Who knew that hardcore-filtered noise rock could create such atmosphere, where soft moments give way to skull hammers without warning? Yet another kick to my ass for not listening to these guys all along.
What’s great about Venerable is that you never see it coming. “Book of Muscle” and “Obeying the Iron Will” lead the charge with Unsane-worthy grit. “Batholith” may be the most accurate musical account of the rat race:
Towels to bruised shins and a crisp shirt later
The road is taken to a numbing punch-line
Spinning my wheels until the week draws to a close
Rinse, Repeat: Waiting for the snow to fall
Things then take a left turn. Slow burners like “The Irate Jumbuck” and “Never Was” pass the seven-minute mark, matching chunky chords with shimmering tremolo. Singer/guitarist Jesse Matthewson whispers through most of the latter, with the shouted refrain “NO GOD, NEVER WAS”. It’s powerful and, more importantly, sincere. The longer songs are bookended by spastic workouts like “A Wicked Pike” and “The Ugliest Happy You’ve Ever Seen”, reminding everyone that it’s still OK to smash into the guy next to you.
It would be remiss to not mention Venerable’s fantastic artwork. The inner and outer sleeves are a museum display of otherworldly skeletal structures that could almost be real. I’ve never seen an album layout like this. It’s great to see a band that still cares about the whole package – especially when said package contains such amazing songs.
. . .
HEAR VENERABLE
. . .
“Obeying the Iron Will”
. . .
BUY VENERABLE
Amazon (LP)
Amazon (CD)
Amazon (MP3)
Profound Lore (CD)
. . .
SEE VENERABLE
KEN Mode – Long-ass tour: Remaining dates
Mar 22 – Windsor, ON @ Coah & Horses
Mar 23 – Hamilton, ON @ Casbah w/Vilipend
Mar 24 – Toronto, ON @ the Garrison w/Vilipend
Mar 25 – Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Dekcuf w/Alaskan
Mar 26 – Quebec City, QC @ Le Scanner w/Mountains Unfold
Mar 27 – Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
Mar 28 – Sherbrooke, QC @ Bar Le Magog
Mar 29 – Burlington, VT @ 242 Main w/Engineer
Mar 30 – Boston, MA @ O’Brians Pub w/Engineer
Mar 31 – Syracuse, NY @ TBA w/Engineer
Apr 1 – Long Island, NY @ Ethical Humanist Society
Apr 2 – NYC, NY @ Webster Hall w/Black Breath
Apr 3 – Brick, NJ @ Bricktown Moose Lodge w/Black Breath
Apr 4 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter w/Black Breath
Apr 5 – Greensboro, NC @ TBA w/Khann
Apr 6 – Savannah, GA @TBA w/Khann
Apr 7 – Gainesville, FL @ TBA w/Khann
Apr 8 – Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery w/Khann
Apr 9 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub w/Khann
Apr 10 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Farside w/Khann
Apr 11 – Hattiesburg, MS @ TBA w/Ganon
Apr 12 – Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse w/Ganon
Apr 13 – Atlanta, GA @ TBA w/Ganon
Apr 14 – Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia w/Ganon
Apr 15 – Akron, OH @ TBA w/Ganon
Apr 16 – Rochester, NY @ Monty’s Krown w/Sulaco
Apr 17 – Columbus, OH @ TBA
Apr 18 – Detroit, MI @ TBA w/Ganon
w/Fuck the Facts
Apr 19 – Buffalo, NY @ The Funeral Home
Apr 21 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Melody Inn
Apr 22 – Chicago, IL @ the Mutiny
Apr 23 -Minneapolis, MN @ TBA (venue change)
Apr 24 – Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
Apr 26 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder
Apr 27 – Portland, OR @ Rotture
Apr 28 – Seattle, WA @ The Comet
Apr 29 – Victoria, BC @ Logan’s Pub
Apr 30 – Vancouver, BC @ Funky Winkerbean’s
May 1 – Kamloops, BC @ Pogue Mahone
May 2 – Edmonton, AB @ Filthy McNasty’s
May 3 – Calgary, AB @ the New Black (all-ages) and Dickens Pub (18+)
May 4 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
May 5 – Prince Albert, SK @ PA Arts Center
May 6 – Regina, SK @ O’Hanlon’s Pub
May 7 – Winnipeg, MB @ the Royal Albert (hometown record release) w/Withdrawal
. . .
I’m conflicted about whether to get this album. When I hear the term “noise rock” I get uneasy and tend to stay away. But when I hear “Profound Lore”, well, that can always change things.
This album didn’t impress me that much – it just reminded me of a bunch of Hydra Head and Escape Artist bands from the early 2000s like Keelhaul, Anodyne, Playing Enemy, etc., etc. And while I liked that stuff in 2000-2003, I didn’t necessarily need more of it in 2011. But I saw them live last week, and live they’re fantastic. I highly recommend catching them on tour, especially this time, since Matthewson’s girlfriend is subbing in on bass and a) she’s cute, and b) she dances to some of the songs (while playing). So go check ‘em out.
i’m with pdf, this left me very cold…. and bored. i would check them out live though, they sound like they have lots of energy.
This album has been peeling my FACE off for about a week, good god. I too am not the biggest ‘noise rock’ fan (I like Unsane, thats about it). But this transcends categories.
I’ve never heard a telecaster sound so good (god i hope its a tele); the transition between chunk and shimmering is almost invisible, as its just total domination 100% of the time anyway. Sometimes, while being totally dominated, I realize the guitarist isnt even playing anything on the bottom strings, and is only playing some erratic melody on the higher strings.
DAMN i cant stop listening to this.
I feel like this album is less dynamic than Mennonite. The slow churning pace of The Goat did more for me than and any of the longer in-depth songs on Venerable. Just felt like something was missing this time around in the dynamic dept. actually. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll enjoy this album in the long run but I was expecting more of an instant show stopper, and maybe that was unfair in hindsight.
What kind of name is KEN Mode? That’s the most impotent band name since Limp Bizkit.
I have no fucking clue what the name KEN Mode means, and am ashamed to ask in case its glaringly obvious. Therefore: the name kicks ASS
KILL. EVERYTHING/ONE. NOW. Mode
Isn’t it taken from Doom or Quake?
Dammit. Knowing the name makes it a little less cool. But not much! Listening to KEN Mode always makes me feel like grabbing my boss by the collar and screaming at him. So its fitting.
I think Kurt Ballou’s production on this album doesn’t do the music justice. When I saw them at SXSW (twice), they put on an excellent performance and pulled off their songs with a style that doesn’t translate onto the album. You speak of dynamics and atmosphere, but I feel like the effect is muted on this album. Ballou turned up the aggression like he always does, but I think forgot what made the music so good. It’s not the aggression.
I googled “KEN Mode” to see what the source for the name might be, and got a bunch of results for a business that manufactures Precision Metal Stamping. That actually seems like a more apt description of KEN Mode the band’s music than “kill everything now” does.
Canadian trio KEN mode (their name stands for “Kill Everyone Now mode,” a quote from Henry Rollins’ book, Get in the Van)
If I remember correctly, they took the name from something Henry Rollins said about being in a Kill Everyone Now Mode (but don’t quote me on that, it’s been years.)
I have both of their previous albums, both bought after seeing them live, and just cannot get into them but live… these guys make me want to buy their albums ’cause I want that experience!
I find it interesting that most folks here seem to be hyper-critical of bands who have differences in their songs you can actually hear, and refer to this sound as some sort of played out in 2002 cliche’…but can yammer on and on about a zillion black metal bands that literally have NO discernible differences other than frog vocals. Not saying one is better than the other really, but it’s just something I’ve noticed…
I believe the live bassist is in Mares of Thrace, who are on the cusp of doing good things.
oh no…what makes this music so good IS in fact aggression, my friend Will Hubbell, and I’m about to go eat glass, listen to this some more, and beat people up.
Maybe I need to see them live (seeing them for the first time next week) to really catch all these dynamics I’m missing out on.
Invisible Oranges: I randomly came across Mares of Thrace last week, and as sick as I am of doom-laden stuff, I really liked them. Esp. the drum work. Said to myself ‘this girl looks familiar,’ then realizing she’s the one appearing in that one KEN Mode promo shot.
I’m loving the shit out of this. Haters gonna hate I guess.
Yeah, what S. said. Can’t get enough of this. Not really the cup o’ tea most regular posters here seem to be into anyway. I’m really into the subtle dynamic shifts *within* the aggressive songs — not that tricky to do the soft-loud thing, but angry to eye-bulging angry gets me more these days.
agreed with the last couple posters.
killer album. powerful production. the songs swing and punch like a heavyweight fighter. absolutely love the vocals too.
raiseyerfists:
I had the exact words ready to post before, about the dynamic shifts WITHIN the songs…again, this brings me back to the guitar work and esp. the tone he is able to get. I wasnt really listening for the “here’s the slow part, here’s the heavy part” kind of dynamic, but more of the “balls out aggression” using everything from riffs on the lower strings to single note melodies on the higher strings.
@Crack re: Telecasters — When I saw Swans in September, Gira was playing an ES-335 (BB King Lucille model, even), and Westberg was playing a Tele–not exactly the sorts of guitars you would normally associate with that dense wall of sound, but I suppose in the right hands it works.
Dammit Graeme, was that show in NY/Brooklyn? Couldnt make it, really regret not being able to go…
But yes, I think pushing guitars like those pretty hard reveals some pretty interesting results
@Crack you definitely SHOULD see them live if you can!
That was the Montreal show. Hopefully you’ll get another chance to see them. I had really high expectations for the show and I wasn’t at all disappointed.
This record is well worth checking out in full. “Never Was” sounds like nothing else KEN Mode has done before, it has a kind of Melvins vibe but overall is one of the most pissed off songs I have heard in a long time, had me straight up Christ-hating for a bit (hope that’s the intent of the song).
If you want to learn a little bit more about Winnipeg, where these guys are from, and how its scene influenced them, check out this interview I did recently- http://www.superheavysounds.com/2010/11/ken-mode-interview.html
Superheavy – That’s a good interview. Thanks for sharing. Being a Canadian band seems like an incredibly lonely existence.
Just saw the explanation of their name is on the top of their website…
http://www.ken-mode.com
I can agree with Will on the production. As much as I love Kurt’s production, his style is more in line with bands who have chainsaw riffs, ie; Black Breath, Trap Them, Doomriders. Sanford would’ve made the sound more blooming with lushness as opposed to booming with aggression. Lookign forward to seeing them again at The Mutiny with Fuck The Facts, Bongripper, and Chicago Thrash Ensemble. By the way, that show is free.
You know, I wasn’t too impressed with their previous effort, but this kicking me in balls in that “good pain” sort of way. Also, I freaking love Mares of Thrace.
@Will and @Carm – I find the point about the production interesting. I had a chance to interview Matthewson for Crustcake and he mentioned thinking Kurt nailed their sound on the head. He thinks Venerable is the best they’ve ever sounded recorded.
@ Chris- being a Canadian band can definitely be a lonely existence, but it’s especially accentuated for those who live further west…you get out there and there’s basically 1 town worth visiting/touring through every 8 hours. There’s a lot of interesting stuff out here though, check back to my site and download the all-Cancon comp we’ve got up for download if you’re interested.
Kurt Ballou’s production worked really well on the last Suicide Note record, and that is not a “Black Breath” type of sound. Haven’t heard this yet, but I need to
Fantastic band, and one of my favorite releases of the year so far. I recently picked up Mennonite though, and GODDAMN if The Goat doesn’t have one of the most finely crafted riffs I’ve ever heard.
Saw KEN Mode and Fuck the Facks last night. Both played short sets, but both were excellent. Well worth the hour drive to the venue and the late night out (which was only late because the promoter /venue crammed three local supporting acts onto the bill. I’m of the mind that local supporting acts should never outnumber the toutring bands, but maybe that’s just me).