The Crow After almost 30 years after its release, Out of the Silent Planet still sounds fresh and surprising!

King's X are not strictly progressive. They are an alternative hard rock band from the end 80's which decided to mix their Rush and progressive influences with a strong song-oriented songwriting, a bit commercial but complex enough to appeal the prog fans. It's like Saga meets Rush but with a touch of grunge and alternative rock in the vein of Pixies or Sonic Youth. That makes the sound of King's X kind of unique and interesting.

The album also sounds pretty good, with emphasis on the strong Ty Tabor guitars and the outstanding voice of Doug Pinnick, one of the best prog singers of all time in my opinion. Jerry Gaskill is also solid on his drums, making King's X a true power trio in the best tradition of the mentioned Rush.

Out of the Silent Planet opens with In the New Age, a powerful and modern song with great guitar sound making a very good alternative hard rock tune. But Goldilox is even better with its great lyrics and the impressive vocals from Pinnick. A mellow and catchy song, and a real King's X classic. Power of Love is a bit more conventional, typical hard rock from the 80's very well sung.

Wonder is maybe the lowest point of the album, despite its good chorus. Just too repetitive! But the album gets better with Sometimes, funnier and with another good chorus. King is even better with its distorted bass line and good choirs, while What is this? offers interesting psychedelic voices together with an impressive singing on the choir.

Far, Far Away is the most progressive track of the album and one of my favorites. Great guitar melodies! A song which influenced in the progressive sound of the 90's. Shot of Love remembers me to the best Extreme with its vocal melodies, and it has surprising folk melodies in its riffs. Visions is a mid-tempo with an accelerated final section, leaving a very good impression.

Conclusion: Out of the Silent Planet supposed a great debut for King's X. A band which sounded just great despite its youth, with powerful guitars, an impressive voice talent who also plays bass pretty well, together with a strong drummer. This album is a very stimulating mixture of hard rock, alternative rock and some prog elements, with full of splendid songs, catchy chorus and great songwriting. Recommended!

Best Tracks: In the New Age, Goldilox, King, Far Far Away.

My rating: ****

siLLy puPPy KING’S X seemingly came out of nowhere in 1988 with their debut album OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET melding progressive metal with funk and soul in midst of the sea of glam metal, dance pop and corporate controlled MTV. The band has consisted of the same three members since its inception in Springfield, MO all the way back in 1980 and despite never reaching extreme heights in their success have been cited as a major influence in the alternative rock that would dominate the 90s and to this day have a very loyal following. The band actually started when bassist and vocalist Doug Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill were brought together by Greg Volz of the Christian rock band Petra to do a project. Guitarist Ty Tabor met them at one of the gigs, they hit if off and the rest is history. Although the lyrics tend to be based on spiritual themes and the group makes no secret that they are Christians they nonetheless reject the Christian rock band label.

OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET is one of my favorite releases by KING’S X along with the following three. Starting with the first track “In The New Age” we get a new age intro that shrouds and obfuscates the band’s true sound until the grungy alternative rock guitar finally breaks in and dominates the soundscape. All of the songs are catchy and edgy at the same time. There is a subdued funkiness to the bass that is totally independent of the dirty guitar sounds and there’s a pseudo-sloppiness that is held together in some strange way that gives them a rather unique sound. Also on board are the famous harmonizing vocals between all three members with Doug Pinnick belting out some strong lead vocals that are often personal and often dark but always ultimately uplifting lyrics.

Like all really good power trios, KING’S X makes the most out of their three instruments and contributing vocals. Despite their music not being significantly different from other hard rock and alternative bands, there’s something about it that is distinctly KING’S X. The catchy songs are simply infectious and the band’s ability to mix distinct tones, rhythms and atmosphere give them a very unique sound. The harmonizing vocals, down tuned guitar and bass create some interesting dynamics. I find this a very strong debut with very few weak tracks like “Power Of Love” which was obviously a hopeful radio friendly potential hit that never came to be.

Stooge It’s kind of tricky referring to Out of the Silent Planet as a straightforward debut album. The band had existed for a large chunk of the 80s (previously as Sneak Preview). They made some tweaks to their sound, and this album does not show a typically young band (Hell, Doug Pinnick is barely under 40 on this one). They came to these sessions ready to deliver.

“In The New Age” starts with a bit of a tacked-on intro, but develops into a rather solid rocker built around a crushing groove that would become a key aspect of their sound. “Goldilox” is a very warming power ballad, showcasing Doug Pinnick’s unique voice and Ty Tabor’s diversity on guitar.

“The Power of Love” has one heck of a memorable chorus that always gets me singing along. “Wonder” has great balance between the bright melodic and slamming heavy aspects of their sound. “Far, Far Away” has great crunchy riffing by Ty Tabor, with him and drummer Jerry Gaskil providing great harmonic vocal support throughout the song. Both men bring similar touch to “Shot of Love” and “King”, both of which made for well-chosen singles.

The weakest stuff here is probably “What Is This?” and “Visions”, but even in these cases they manage to at least have a fairly good chorus to crutch upon. It’s just too hard for these guys to mess up a chorus!!

It’s littered with some great material, but I do find the debut to be a bit uneven at times. It’s hard for me to describe. I think they have a bit more variety on subsequent releases and grow even more as songwriters, as well as having an increased sense of adventure. Regardless, I’d still consider this to be an excellent pickup as I consider each of their first 5 albums to be worth buying.

Nightfly What a fantastic debut album Out Of The Silent Planet is. Great musicianship, great lead vocals, as well as strong backing vocals and most importantly excellent songwriting. The music is heavy rock with slight Prog leanings with a strong emphasis on melodic catchy tunes with much use made of the fact that all 3 band members can sing.

In the New Age opens the album with a minute and a half of ambient sound effects before the band really kick in and what's immediately apparent is guitarist Ty Tabors rich sound; powerful and full, a sound that has become immediately recognisable to fans of the band. He also shares lead vocals with Doug Pinnick (bass) on this hard hitting slice of melodic rock and Tabor also plays a great guitar solo, not overly flash but making every note count.

Goldilox is more of a power ballad, a song that remains a live favourite to this day with its lush harmony vocals and Tabors sweet picking style on the guitar contrasting with heavier riffs.

Power of Love has quite a psychedelic vibe to it with an excellent soulful vocal performance from Pinnick which runs straight into Wonder with Tabors versatile guitar playing alternating between metallic riffs, rich arpeggios and clean chords and more excellent vocal work.

Even better is Sometimes, the trademark harmonies are there again and King's X know that what you don't play is just as important as what you do allowing the song to breathe and make every note count. Next is King and it might just be my favourite track on the album. It's just a simple mid paced rocker but has one of the bands catchiest melodies which immediately gets under the skin.

What is This? is another favourite with another great vocal performance from Pinnick and Far, Far Away has all the King's X ingredients but doesn't quite hit the spot the way most of the album does but Shot of Love more than makes up for it as does final track Visions which goes from a powerful plodding rocker to a breakneck pace for Tabors guitar solo.

Out of The Silent Planet is one of the best debut albums of the eighties but they would follow it with arguably their greatest masterpiece, Gretchen Goes To Nebraska.