Killer Be Killed ‘Reluctant Hero’ Review: metal supergroup bring the goods on sophomore LP.
Killer Be Killed are in every sense a super-group: with members from the likes of Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Soulfly and Converge.
Anytime so many esteemed musicians join forces, there is always a fear of “too many cooks in the kitchen,” that performers of such strong opinion may cancel each other out in the studio. But as evidenced on their debut album, this collective featuring Max Cavalera, Greg Puciato, Troy Sanders and Ben Koller overflow with mutual respect and styles that compliment one another, rather than overwhelm.
The group are back with Reluctant Hero (November 20 via Nuclear Blast), a solid, 11-track collection that covers a wide breadth of metal textures and song craft.
Opener Deconstructing Self Destruction is a case in point, with smooth vocal tradeoffs between Sanders, Cavalera and Puciato, and an anthemic chorus that blasts into the stratosphere.
Dream Gone Bad sees Sanders in Mastodon mode, a lurching, stalking monster of a tune punctuated by a line that kinda defines 2020: life is killing me.
Inner Calm From Outer Storms dials down the bombast with a moody Black Sabbath-y intro, tribal drums and funereal overtones that oozes atmosphere.
Reluctant Hero covers a wide variety of sonic territory, from the hardcore flavored Filthy Vagabond and Animus to the grunge-fueled From A Crowded Wound, featuring Puciato at his most impassioned and powerful.
The Great Purge offers chunky groove metal goodness, while Dead Limbs splits the difference between vintage thrash and math-metal prog
The album ends with the title track, the most reflective and somber of the bunch, opening with a mournful, lyrical riff and Sanders’ vocals at his most restrained and soulful. It ebbs and flows, building slowly until Puciato joins him in soaring harmony.
One line sticks out from that tune, a plaintive refrain of Until we meet again. Who knows how long we’ll have to wait for these musical brethren to reconvene, but hopefully it’ll be in a post-pandemic world where we can see them live and at full fury. Until then, Reluctant Hero will ably scratch a much needed metal itch for fans.
