Gathering up some of the finest artists off their catalog, Bongo Boy Records released the various artists’ compilation Kryp II Knight Volume IV on their website and all platforms on the 12th of May 2023. Offering a wide range of sounds from classic rock to grunge, Kryp II Knight Volume IV is where you’ll find your next favorite artist. Let me tell you more about it.
With heavy hard-hitting riffs and deep pounding bass, Kryp II Knight Volume IV opens with Shawn Michael Perry‘s Rock Steady. A big opener that fits such compilation, with loud and clear old-school influences, pure rock n roll powerful vocals, fluid dynamic headbanging riffs, and groovy drumming, Rock Steady is an epic heavy tune with a flow and structure that only push forward towards an exciting energetic direction that’ll get you on the edge of your seat.
Boys’N’Barry‘s Love Me Do You comes next with bright catchy melodies and uplifting Scorpions‘ vibes. It has colorful energetic melodies with catchy vocals and guitar work, as the guitar licks and solos kept on flowing playing around with the song’s dynamics. At the same time, the intense drumline boosts its energy, all in a multi-layered structure with smooth dynamic progression and an irresistible hooking groove.
Kryp II Knight Volume IV steers into new territory in Phillip Cole‘s The Only One, as Cole takes us into a grungy/emo/alternative-influenced area with subtle atmospheric melodies and deeply emotional sound. The Only One has a melodic flow with a sharp guitar melody and a distorted tone that went perfectly with the punk-ish drumline, creating a catchy filled-with-anticipation flow that kept me hooked and entertained.
The NEW Bardots steers the record’s dynamics into a more colorful, groovy territory with Thrill of the Night, they have a subtle country groove mixed within their fun playful sound. Introducing an insanely entertaining bassline that added an irresistibly moving layer to their mix, The NEW Bardots offer an open sounding fun tune with a laidback structure and amazing writing that channeled those chill vibes to the listener, drawing a smile on my face as I sway to its melodies.
With some classic rock influences mixed with a fresh bluesy breeze comes Dale Mitchel and Corky Evans‘ Why Can’t You Say. I loved their acoustic and electric guitar mix, that with clever arrangement created a diverse sounding rich mood with changing melodies and progression. Why Can’t You Say has a cool subtle dynamic progression, it moves forward smoothly with seamless shifts that keep things interesting and show Dale Mitchel and Corky Evans‘ writing skills and musicianship.
Deep Inside by ObLiveA hits next with slow dense guitars and sludgy vibes, it has a slow fluid buildup that goes streaming within its floating pace into a soft atmospheric progression mainly depending on fuzzy guitar tone and expressive vocal delivery. The guitar work was cleverly arranged, with bluesy melodies and solos spicing things off, and boosting the song’s dynamics and progression, giving it a big catchy sound without compromising its chill flow.
Moving into a more psychedelic/progressive sound comes In The Year 2525 by The NEW Bardots. Those guys managed to produce an epic classic tune with soft well-written and arranged progression, it has heavy 70s progressive vibes with haunting vocals, insanely good guitar work with some cool “guitar hero” moments, atmospheric keys, and pounding bass and drumlines. The expressive, storytelling vocal approach perfectly matched In The Year 2525‘s dynamics that keep on going up with no looking back.
With a unique mix comes Onde Radio by Artic Baba, a laid-back tune with an extremely melodic flow and an emotionally hot vocal delivery. The instruments’ diversity and layering are pretty impressive, everything is mashed up in perfect harmony and production as you can clearly hear each and every instrument take its time and spot to shine and deliver the needed emotion. Onde Radio has a playful fun flow with interesting changes and deep bass that carries you through the whole song softly and easily, all within a catchy structure with a tasty melodic approach.
Approaching the end of the record, Phillip Cole hits once again with the ballad My Angel. A soft heartfelt tune that’s loaded with emotions and cool solos, swaying softly and smoothly through its warm melodies, it’ll draw a smile on your face with its chill sound and subtle guitar licks.
Ending Kryp II Knight Volume IV the way it started, on a hard-hitting rocking note with Fate Will Come‘s Heavy Heart. The powerful vocals reminded me of 80s glam bands, while the blasting heavy drums and shredding guitars magnified its sound and got me nodding my head in total satisfaction. Fate Will Come‘s raw crunchy guitar tone fits those attacking riffs perfectly, and their heavy metal attitude was shown clearly through their dynamics and chemistry.
Kryp II Knight Volume IV is a solid diverse compilation that’ll take you on a cool musical journey exploring some gems you might haven’t listened to before. Looking forward to more compilations, best of luck guys. Cheers!
