In its varying moods and tempos, KONINGSOR‘s “The Venerable Mr. Locust” comes as a whirlwind of chaos and a blend of well-balanced sounds and heavy melodies. Crafted with frenzy and care, the track is a great teaser of their upcoming self-titled EP, out April 16th, 2021 via Silent Pendulum Records, and today we’re stoked to give you more details about their work, with their first-hand commentary on inspirations, local music scene in Austin, and more!
Koningsor was formed in Austin, Texas in 2016. As the band describes it, the members were all great friends that would hang out every weekend, but were busy playing in other bands. Eventually, they began setting aside time to play music together. As new songs were being written, everyone became increasingly excited about Koningsor, and one by one, they stepped away from their other projects. By combining crushing melodies with intricate dynamic shifts, Koningsor maturely guides the listener on a journey exploring experience, influence, and experimentation. Influenced by high energy acts such as The Red Chord, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Rolo Tomassi, The No. 12 Looks Like You, Every Time I Die, Botch, and Converge, the band sets out to capture ears immediately and command attention with start-to-finish high energy performances that strengthen the bond between band and crowd. Koningsor’s goal has always been to challenge themselves to write the best music they can, supporting the metal community in Texas and across the nation while doing so.
Recorded & engineered by Kieran Krebs at Overcast Recordings(Nominee, Televangelist). Mastered by Kevin Antreassian (Dillinger Escape Plan) at Backroom Studios. Pre-order the vinyl and merchandise, here.
“When we were in the writing process we were all listening to a decent variety of music for inspiration.” – says the band. “When we weren’t blasting 90’s country or some Houston Screw we were really inspired by the freeform structure of bands like Thoughtcrimes, The No12 Looks Like You, The Contortionist, and Loathe. Those bands’ abilities to take the song in any direction was really something we wanted to adopt into our own writing. During the hunt for the right “beef” we were really digging into END, TDEP, Norma Jean, The Red Chord, The Ocean, and early 2000’s Opeth.”
With “The Venerable Mr. Locust,” the Koningsor addresses people that on the surface offer help/aid, while their true purpose is nefarious, to take advantage of a person while they’re down (“Imagine a predatory used car salesman selling a lemon to a single mother that’s struggling, or the subprime mortgage lenders that tanked the economy,” the band explains). “Japan//Japan” is equally as heavy in subject, focusing on the feeling of being trapped by alcoholism/addiction. Both tracks, then, address rampant issues that are pressing during any time in American history, but especially in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, making this EP timely and forceful.
April 16th 2021 marks Koningsor‘s EP release show at Come & Take It Live in Austin, TX. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Parallax, Aeon Nova, and Gnarwolf are also on the bill.
“We’ve always considered shows as the celebration of the work that gets done behind the scenes and we’re really excited to get back to doing what we love to do and have a great time with everybody.” – comments the band.
Asked about their favorite DIY show, they recall Liberty Bar on East 6th during SXSW 2018. “It certainly goes down in history as one of my favorite shows.” – says Andy.
“The back-lined house gear was absolute trash and we didn’t have high hopes at all but once we started playing the place went completely nuts. Totally unexpected and everyone was bouncing, moshing, crowd surfing, and dancing like maniacs. At one point I looked up from the behind the drums and saw Paul (vocalist) had crowdsurfed up to the second level still screaming his parts. Everyone had the same huge ass grin glued to their face that I’ll never forget, it was a great time”.
Lastly, hungry for more inspiring bands, we called for some local recommendations. “ATX is full of great bands” – admits Andy. “DSGNS, Portrayal of Guilt, Gnarwolf, Pala, Sozora, Transit Method, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, The Ansible, Drip-Fed, Aeon Nova, Chernobyl The Secret, this list can go on forever. Austin has a great population of amazingly talented musicians worth checking out.
“Silent Pendulum has released music by The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Heavy Heavy Low Low, meth., and others, and if you dig those bands (or The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Converge, etc, etc), you’re probably gonna like the chaotic mathcore of Koningsor’s new song “The Venerable Mr. Locust.” It’s a killer track that’ll bring you right back to this genre’s early/mid 2000s heyday but sounds fresh today too.” — BrooklynVegan
“Koningsor is one of those bands that after watching them wreck the stage, you almost feel obligated to buy them a beer and thank them for a great show.” — ATX Metal Podcast
“Koningsor!? You mean party in a box?” — Come & Take It Productions
