Spoiler alert: this new Kinghorn song rules. Hailing from Portland, the post-metal outfit released their self-titled first full-length in 2021; though it went underheard, it established a strong foundation for the amp-worshipping trio. They’re all geared up to release next record Empty Handed, which is scheduled for an April 2024 release.
Following in a similar vein to post-metal stalwarts Neurosis and The Ocean, or new(er)comers to the genre like YLVA, Kinghorn are heavy on the atmosphere, using drawn-out chords and pounding, almost tribal, drums to set a mood that grows from quiet intensity to a fever pitch. The vocals are thunderous but rhythmic, sometimes resembling a chant. Kinghorn know their influences and aren’t shy about them, but the songs are put together in such a way that they have a unique identity.
“This is our second full length release (there is also a demo and and EP in addition to those) that took a bit longer than expected to finish up,” Kinghorn tell Decibel in an email. “It turns out, it was a bit easier to be prolific when we were locked down in a global pandemic.
“We are incredibly happy with how it turned out. Recording with Engineer Mike Vera and mastering engineer Stephan Hawekes is always a pleasure. They are always very patient with us getting our shit together.
“This album is a little more goth/post than our previous stuff which has been really fun to explore. ‘Spoiler’ is more down-tempo and sort-of outside the box from what we have done in the past. I don’t really like to tell listeners what to pull from the song musically or lyrically. Just to stay the track is aptly named.”
Check out “Spoiler” below and stay tuned to Kinghorn’s Bandcamp for more information.
