SweetKenny - "The Hitman Files" Review!!

It's now time for our 79th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and first of 2016, as we're taking a look "The Hitman Files" by Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken Sutton, a.k.a. SweetKenny! Marking our sixth review of a SweetKenny album on the SMS, "The Hitman Files" was released on October 31st of last year, and is getting reviewed over his other three releases since last June as it's the heaviest of them. Keeping with his recent trend for his solo albums, "The Hitman Files" is an instrumental release showcasing Ken's work as a score composer, with the album as a whole themed as the backing soundtrack for an action or hitman-themed production, likely intended for a video game. Featuring Ken himself on all instruments as usual, this was recorded earlier this year at Waterfall Records, and is now on sale via SweetKenny's Bandcamp page for $12, and while it can be streamed for free there, consider buying it to support Ken's work!

Featuring 12 tracks at about 34 minutes, let's begin what should be a unique review with the first track, "The Hitman"! An ominous sounding opener, this song seems to set the mood of an introductory scene for a title character, and while the instrumentation takes a dark turn, Ken does lay down some nicely fitting guitar melodies and solos overtop of it! It's methodical and gets the job done for a score, but fans of Ken's regular songs may be wanting a more diverse track. Next is "I See You", presumably referencing when a hitman has a target in sight, and it keeps the slower, backing score vibe of the opening track, but ups the dramatic quality with a tenser feeling and a tinge of orchestration. I like this song a little more for it's ambiance, and I can see it fitting the scene I'm picturing in my head!

Third is "Cops Are All Around", which has more of an up-tempo, techno-influenced style that seems to suggest that the title is occurring in the universe of "The Hitman Files". This song has a very drum-heavy beat that actually calls to mind a tribal theme, which was presumably unintentional, and while it's my favourite of the compositions so far, it's also a little repetitive after a while. That's followed by "Armed To The Teeth", another higher energy track that seems intended for a gunfight or battle of some description. Good drum beat and some jam guitar help keep the flow here, and it doesn't grow as repetitive as some of it's predecessors, but it's not as catchy as "Cops Are All Around", and given the title, it could benefit from a faster tempo. Well composed though, as usual!

Song #5 is "Over the Top Power", which has a dark, methodic mood that feels like you're walking down a dark alley in an action film. It's an effective, if not overly long track that doesn't bear a lot of similarities with Ken's regular solo songs, but the ambiance, strong guitar melody, and catchy drum beat help make it an early favourite on this album! Then we have "The Contract", which arguably bears the most resemblance yet to SweetKenny's regular non-score albums, with his familiar guitar sound laid over a mid-tempo beat as the album's presented story continues. Well performed, and while there's no standout moment, remember that's it's intended as the backing score for a game or film. The shorter "Countdown" follows with an industrial-tinged hard rock performance that has a nice driving feel, good effects work, and an intense mood that should please fans of Ken's heavier songs,. It'd be very interesting to hear him flesh this one out with lyrics & a longer runtime!

Eighth is "Death Race", which is the longest song on "The Hitman Files", but despite the name, it's not overly aggressive or dark, instead harbouring a drum heavy rhythm. It's well composed, but it seems to loop a bit too long, and it does get repetitive by the end, but again, I have to remember that this is meant for a score and the sum of the parts, not a typical standalone song. Next is "Just Before the Kill", which is simply an ominous, dark, dirge that mostly sets the mood for a scene in the score, with the tension suggested in the title. It gets the job done for the score, but it shares little in common with most of SweetKenny's originals. "Power" follows it with a mid-tempo driving number that has a bit of an ethnic feel, and never gets too overpowering or aggressiver. It's light and listenable, and fits the score well, but one could argue that the vibe of the song doesn't suggest it's title

The penultimate song on "The Hitman Files" is "Really",  which relishes in a synth-heavy vibe that dominates the track, and is arguably the most unique song on the album. It's interesting, and reminds me a bit of "Mr. Crowley" at points, but fans of more typical SweetKenny material may not take to this one, unless you look at it as part of the score. The album comes full circle with "The Hitman: Part II", which is the shortest featured track, and while it's similar stylistically to it's first half, it's not as stylized or guitar-heavy, ending the story on a more reserved note. It's an effective closer, and wraps up an interesting album!

So, what are my final thoughts on "The Hitman Files"? Well, it's definitely one of the most unique albums I've ever reviewed on here, especially given it's intention as a score for video games or movies, and on that basis, I can definitely see what SweetKenny's going for! Since July or so, all of his new albums have been intended as scores, and while this one was picked over the others due to it's comparative heaviness, I can see it being used on a hitman-themed video game! While never too aggressive or in-your-face, it has darker, intense, and energetic songs that go along with the suggested titles, and each one is well done for what they are! Given my usual CD review experience, it's hard to judge this against anything prior that I've looked at (Haggith's "Apocalypse" albums may come the closest), so I don't feel right criticizing individual tracks is fair, as they're all pieces of a greater puzzle, and are meant to back up a main story in other media. On that basis, SweetKenny has delivered a solid score, and hopefully "The Hitman Files" and his other recent albums get used in that regard! Check it out above!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! So, what will be our second review of 2016 at the SMS? I have no idea at this point, but here's what our process looks like. Of course, precedence will go to a new album, and next month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Tuesday will outline possible releases to look for that might be next for us, so stay tuned then! Nothing imminent has been announced that I've heard yet, but you never know what might be said! An archive album would be a second order for next month if there's no major new releases that I can acquire, and while it's way too soon to guarantee anything, Haggith's "Apocalypse II" or "XIV" would be very possible as a tie-in with Project 421's concerts next month. In any event, another SweetKenny album or one of Bad Back's "VOLumes" demos would not be next, as we are not past our six month buffer period on either yet, which is in place to avoid potentially showing a bias. Stay tuned for more next month, and for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (415E), New Album Updates, And More!!

Hey guys, let's keep things rolling on this Monday afternoon with a new news post! Today, we're filling things with a new concert video posting, new songs from a fast-approaching new CD, and some recent releases from across the border, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to the stage to close 2015 with a New Year's Eve concert at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Thursday, December 31st! As revealed on the band's Facebook page last week (though not yet confirmed online by the venue), this will be the band's first publically announced concert since drummer Tony Hubbard's birthday party event in August, and their first in St. Ignace since April, so if you've missed 415E's Van Halen-influenced blend of hard rocking originals and covers, don't miss their New Year's Eve gig to send the year out with a bang! No word yet on if they're playing the regular weekend gigs too or if another band will get them, we'll let you know if something's confirmed. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, which will have a 21+ age limit, and there is no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and definitely consider 415E's return to the stage at year's end!

Next up, Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has released two new solo albums to his Bandcamp page in recent months! Keeping with his exceedingly prolific nature, these albums are entitled "The Hitman Files" and "The Walkers: Rise of the Dead", as released in October and December respectively. Each has 12 songs (and fittingly costs $12 online), and each is wrote as if they could be used as a score for a video game or movie, as is the case for certain of his past albums. It should be noted that these are officially considered his 14th and 15th main solo albums, implying that his recent Spotify & Google Play releases like "In The Groove" & "The Island" are not considered to be part of the main series. Depending on your source, Ken's next album will either be titled "Cartoons", "Epic Music", or "Only Us Left Standing", but in any event, look for it (them?) early next year. With The Pixo Control next for our monthly CD reviews, look for a new SweetKenny album review on the site early next year!

As well, SweetKenny has began a subscription service on Bandcamp to get first crack at his new music, extended access to his back catalog, and an exclusive compilation named "Comic Book" that includes one new song ("Myra the Hunter") that is otherwise unavailable publically. It can all be yours for $30 a year, so if you're interested in subscribing, visit the above links! It sounds like Ken's staying very busy, and his prolific yet entertaining blend of hard and classic rock should find an audience as usual, so give all of his new material a listen above!

We'll close today with new videos, including more new studio tracks from The Pixo Control's upcoming debut album "Probably Not", which comes out at their LopLops Lounge CD release parties THIS SATURDAY! Since we last acknowledged "The 12 Days of Pixo", the local alternative hard rock trio have posted six more full studio recordings (tracks 3-8) from the upcoming CD to their YouTube channel in the past week, and in chronological order, they include "This Is Momentary, Forever", "Land of the Moles", "Reasons", "Vicinity", "60" (Extra Chances Called Minutes), and as embedded below, "Tall Ships".  In terms of the performers these tracks, they're largely identical to prior songs, but ex-bassist Steve Edwards is credited for additional fuzz bass on "60", so at least he will be featured somewhat on the final product! If there's a variance on "Vicinity", it's yet to be revealed, as that video has no description.

We'll hold comment on the songs until our full review of "Probably Not", but check out these songs above & below, and stay tuned for the final four "12 Days of Pixo" over the coming days, including the songs "Congratulations On Your Decision To Become A Pilot", "Scratch", "No", and "Potpourri"!

Lastly, here's a new video of local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester live at Rotaryfest a decade or so ago! Filmed during their early run with original singer Richard Fullerton, it was likely shot in 2006 (as it's at nighttime, and That's Chester closed Rotaryfest's Friday lineup that year), but I'm not 100% certain. Uploaded to drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel earlier today, this is of That's Chester covering Jackyl's "Down On Me", but not with Ric on drums, rather late guitarist Eugene Orlando's daughter Emily! She doesn't do a bad job at all, I wonder if she was involved in any band work locally? The performance is solid overall, with Ritch's rangy vocals an asset for that era of That's Chester, but the lighting is inconsistent, and the backing vocals could be stronger. It's nice to see some vintage That's Chester footage, and Eugene must have been very proud to share the stage with his daughter, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!