This trio of veteran musicians based in the Frederick area of Maryland is such an interesting bunch of hoodlums. Having crossed paths throughout the years it was just a matter of time before they joined forces. Consisting of Paul Cogle on bass guitar & vocals (Akris & Black Blizzard), Tim Otis on guitar (Admiral Browning & Akris), and Brian Goad on drums (Internal Void & The Larrys), the instrumentation set-up is somewhat odd since Paul usually plays guitar and Tim drums. Oh, Paul and Brian played together for a long time in the excellent band, Nagato. To these ears the main draw for High Noon Kahuna is surf, punk and doom which forms a fantastic foundation for their music. But other influences are present as well, simply listen to their full-length debut, 'Killing Spree' and you'll hear things I don't. And that's how it should be! However, what we all will share though is the love for this great album.
Opener 'Parachute' comes at you in full-blown surf regalia...that is until Paul starts to sing. What is on offer then is intense punk-surf soaked in tons of attitude, groove and, well pure beauty. No ifs and buts about it. A brilliant start, indeed! 'Danger Noodle' follows and is a touch slower for the most part with more harmonies but every so often High Noon Kahuna explodes. Moving back and forth like ebb and tide, this song is fantastic...especially with Paul's haunted, dejected yet to the point vocals added to the equation. And to hear Tim rip it up on the guitar is pretty mind-blowing.'Sharktooth' brings back the surf-rock and then some. Brian is really leading the way on the drums allowing Paul and Tim to tear it up, this is instrumental music at its very best!
'Another Way Around' steamrolls hard at first before launching the music into a sphere of emotions, music harmonies juxtaposed with biting punk and rock as well as pure raw beauty. What follows next is my favourite of them all, 'Black Lodge'. Taking its inspiration from TV's best-ever show, Twin Peaks, you can't go wrong. Starting off with a reggae-ish drumbeat, the bass guitar then truly bring the dark and twisted vibes of Twin Peaks before Tim unleashes the mania full out. Gradually building up in pace 'Black Lodge' just gets more and more intense as would befit anything David Lynch puts his hands on. Truly amazing! Album closer 'Sand Storm' opens it's arms to that wonderful surf-guitar tone Tim rips throughout the entire recording. And with Paul and Brian laying down the law this unholy composition is intense and oh so brilliant!
I just love it when a band comes along who, regardless what kind of music they play, simply defy boundaries and genre rules. They do what they want and how they want to. Being unshackled like this creates great music, even moreso when the band members are such accomplished musicians....as the guys in High Noon Kahuna are! That is brought forth even further with the silence they bring. What I mean is they don't cram their songs full of stuff but let silence prevail...I guess, less is more is what I'm trying to say. Regardless, High Noon Kahuna are a great band and they deserve world domination. Our lives would be so much more better, trust me!
-Swedebeast