Kirk
4
By SPIKE....
“High Plains Drifter” is a decent song, and it encompasses most of Kirk’s career. The first two minutes are very similar to the intro at the Metallica concerts that we have all been to, and it has a beautiful, western theme to it. Right around the 2 minute mark, almost the exact riff from Creeping Death kicks in, note for note, and we are all thinking “Die by my hand!” in our heads. The only real problem I have with this so far is that Kirk is an extremely accomplished guitarist, with a massive breadth of knowledge, and 40 years of riffs in head. With that said, it seems really odd that he wouldn’t have enough material for a full length album, and that he would basically incorporate Metallica riffs into his solo project, almost note for note. Obviously, he helped to create those riffs, so they’re his, but it really seems as though he could have used some new material to differentiate himself from Metallica. The rest of the songs are decent, with quite a bit of atmospheric build up. I enjoyed “The Jinn” the most out of the last 3 songs. “Maiden and the Monster” is good when it finally gets going, especially the solo, but the first few minutes start off pretty slow. “The Incantation” is all over the place, and will take time to digest. Overall, this is a decent EP, but I really expected more from someone as accomplished as Kirk. This sounds more like a soundtrack than an actual album at times. Maybe that’s what he was going for.
