KLONNS: G.A.M.E.S. 12"

KLONNS: G.A.M.E.S. 12" (Iron Lung Records) Iron Lung Records brings us the second album from this Tokyo band that, across a bulging discography packed with numerous EPs, has landed on a unique style. On 2022’s Crow 7” (also released on Iron Lung), Klonns had a crusty vibe, but that’s mostly absent on G.A.M.E.S., which sounds to me like a fusion of two sounds I never would have thought to put together. On one hand, KLONNS sounds to me like they pull a lot from the tougher end of post-Death Side Japanese hardcore from the late 90s and early 2000s. I’m thinking of bands like Tetsu-Arrey, AI, and Clown, all of whom played music based on the Burning Spirits vibe, but with a sense of menace that—even if it isn’t true—makes it sound like the bands could be connected to the Yakuza. G.A.M.E.S. has a similar air of menace, but interestingly KLONNS eliminates the slightly rocked out, Motorhead-esque riffing that is such a staple of the Burning Spirits sound, which makes them sound even tougher and scarier. KLONNS’ other key influence here is from the breakdown-focused end of modern hardcore, where nearly every song climaxes with a crushing, pit-clearing mosh part. Being too close to too many windmills and spin kicks in my life has made me generally wary of this mode of hardcore, but even the most vehement anti-mosh activist must acknowledge KLONNS’ way with a mid-paced riff. Their riffing is very catchy in general, but some of those mid-paced parts are just so memorable. And when they do the whole, “play the riff again, but slower” thing? Fuhggedaboutit… it sounds like people are going to die. This combination of influences may be too much for the purists, but KLONNS has hit on something that feels genuinely new and they execute it here with style and power.