KEN Mode

Escape Artist does it again, with an insurgent strike into the heart of the Great White North to find another band Canadians may have slept on but whose bandwagon all will now be clamouring to ride. Ken (Kill Everyone Now) Mode wears their hostile, harsh influences proudly on their sleeve: vintage Amphetamine Reptile dissonant noise rock, especially the abrasive aggression of the Unsane, the earlier sludgy works of the Melvins, the unorthodox noise of the Jesus Lizard, in parts, combined with the loose and frantic metallic rampaging of hardcore acts like Coalesce. Much like Keelhaul, with whom Ken Mode share many sonic similarities, Ken Mode may lack a central scene to appeal to or sound to ply, but their abrasive metallic mayhem is heavy and diverse enough to draw from many scenes. Complex but loose technical runs are interspersed throughout Ken Mode’s raucous outbursts, mixing up the pummelling, and while "noise rock” bands have a tendency to become redundant, Ken Mode’s musical proficiency keeps it interesting throughout. Vocally, Ken Mode are all about the distorted screaming, which works well for their sound, but doesn’t grab as quickly as another sadly departed Winnipeg threesome’s noisy endeavours, the Kittens. Regardless, Mongrel scraps and stings with the most hostile intentions.