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Kitchen Knife Conspiracy returns with new album
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Kitchen Knife Conspiracy
By John Benson
It’s one thing for a metal band to go old school, but local act Kitchen Knife Conspiracy is going Old Testament.
In fact, the title of the group’s fifth full-length album, “Seven Deadly Sins,” says it all. If you’re on the market for stompcore (hardcore meets death metal) tunes tackling wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony, the Youngtown-based KKC — Jeremy Cibella (guitar), Fred Whitacre Jr. (drums), Johnny Kihm (bass) and Ian Pethtel (vocals) — has the perfect play list.
“There’s like seven small instrumentals on the album, and each is named after a sin,” said Whitacre, a 1995 Girard High School graduate. “And then there’s one or two songs that deal with that deadly sin. This time we wanted to try something more cohesive.”
He added that the addition of Pethtel to the group four years ago not only rounded out the lineup but provided the creative chops for KKC to tackle a concept album.
“We thought it would be a cool idea to challenge ourselves and try something different,” Whitacre said. “We feel like the way the world is now, it was a good opportunity for us. I guess, it’s not like the world has much of a moral compass anymore, so we thought it was a good chance to use that as a topic.”
Specifically, the band is asking, does the concept of sinning have any place in modern society? KKC is exploring modern-day morality via its stompcore sound, which on “Seven Deadly Sins” also includes hints of black metal and thrash.
Highlights from the CD include the wrath-based “Buried by the Hatchet” and “Violent Eclipse.” Whitacre feels wrath is the most dangerous of the seven deadly sins because it’s the one that can lead to all of the others.
“We thought that’s the one that most identify with what we do because we’re an angry, aggressive kind of music,” Whitacre said. “There’s a simplicity to our music that I think is fun and that our listeners have always enjoyed and identified with. It’s a good chance for them to give a healthy outlet of aggression.”
Influenced by Obituary and Cannibal Corpse, KKC has been together for 17 years, but it’s been nearly a decade since the band’s last studio effort. Whitacre said the delay has been partially the fault of owning his own home studio, which not only provided the luxury of the band recording as often as possible but also allowed for incessant tinkering of material. The latter acted as a hindrance.
“Eventually, we were like we might as well just go forward and do this now,” Whitacre said. “I think maybe — I don’t want to say we were slacking — but we were taking our time and maybe being too particular.”
KKC celebrates its new album with a CD-release show Saturday at Cedars West End. It sounds like it’ll be a night of fire and brimstone.
“I don’t think so,” Whitacre said, laughing. “It should be a night of moshing and stomping.”